Direct and indirect relationships of physical fitness, weight status, and learning duration to academic performance in Japanese schoolchildren

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine, using structural equation modelling (SEM), the direct and indirect influence of daily behaviours (i.e. exercise/learning durations), weight status, and physical fitness on academic performance among seventh-grade schoolchildren, after controlling for socioeconomic status. We analysed cross-sectional data from 274 schoolchildren (159 males and 115 females; 12–13 years old). Academic performance was assessed using the total grade points in eight academic subjects. Physical fitness was evaluated using the total score of eight physical fitness tests and weight status using body mass index. The daily behaviours and socioeconomic status were assessed by the questionnaire. The SEM showed an adequate fit to the data (χ² = 0.684, p = .710, RMSEA = .000). Physical fitness and learning durations had direct effects on academic performance (β = .301, p < .001; β = .132, p = .037, respectively) after controlling for confounders. Healthy weight status and exercise habits positively indirectly influenced academic performance via physical fitness. These findings suggest that, independent of socioeconomic status and learning durations, exercise habits and maintaining healthy weight status may indirectly contribute to academic success via better physical fitness in children.

Keywords:

• Behaviour
• children
• motor skills
• obesity
• education
• structural equation modelling

ORCID

Toru Ishihara http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3544-6822

Noriteru Morita http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3427-7174

Koji Yamatsu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9136-1650

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2017.1409273).

Additional information

Funding

The present study was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers [JP24650379, JP23500737, JP26282188, and JP15K12723] from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.