Sports practice and factors associated with school performance in grade and high school: comparison between athletes and non-athletes

• DOI: 10.1007/s11332-018-0478-6
• Publication Date: 2018-06-18T07:28:21Z
• Authors: Ezequias Rodrigue...; Wellington Robert...; Luiz Alexandre de...; Francisco de Assi...; Emanuel Péricles ...
• Keywords: Sports medicine

The relationship between sport and school performance provokes great discussions. Studies have shown conflicting results when verifying association of academic performance with physical activity and sport. The aim of the study was to associate academic performance to the level of physical activity and sports in student athletes and non-athletes in primary and secondary school. Cross-sectional study conducted in 2015, with 363 students (141 athletes and 222 non-athletes), of both sexes, belonging to primary and secondary education. The students were submitted to anthropometric evaluation (weight and stature) and body composition (percentage of fat), physical activity-level classification, through the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents—QAFA, motor performance through (flexibility, agility, strength, and speed), and school performance (pending subjects and income coefficient). The logistic regression analysis was performed to verify the associations between variables with significance for p < 0.05. There is improved academic performance for the third year of high school (p = 0.002); physically active students are more likely to achieve better academic performance compared to those who are insufficiently active and physically inactive (OR = 2.15, p = 0.020). In motor performance, students who presented better results in the agility and strength test in lower limbs achieved better academic performance (OR = 1.62, p = 0.047 and OR = 3.82, p = 0.040), respectively. Student athletes did not present inferior academic performance compared to non-athletes and that physically active students had a positive relationship with better school performance.