Physical activity, sedentary behavior and educational outcomes in university students: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective

To systematically review available evidence focusing on the relationship between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and educational outcomes (EO), among university students. Method: Articles published in English and up to April 2019 were eligible to be included in the review if they examined associations between either PA or SB measures and EO in undergraduate university students. Results: Thirty-five articles met the eligibility criteria. The majority of papers used self-report measures of PA and SB and were rated as demonstrating poor quality (22/35). Evidence indicated no associations with EO for overall PA, MPA, VPA, and indeterminate associations for MVPA and leisure-based screen time. Conclusion: Mixed findings for PA, SB, and EO were found. Future studies should use more rigorous designs, including robust measures of relevant outcomes, to further our understanding of this area.

Keywords:

• Educational outcomes
• physical activity
• sedentary behavior
• systematic review
• university students

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Christine Dalais (librarian, The University of Queensland) for her assistance in developing the search strategy.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Australia. No approval from an Institutional Review Board was needed for this systematic review.

Additional information

Funding

This article is part of a Ph.D. project funded by The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission Scholarship, Umm Al-Qura University.