The Effect of Physical Activity on Academic Performance and Mental Health: Systematic Review

Abstract

Examining the association between participation in physical activities and academic achievement is important for many reasons. Understanding the relationship between participation in sport activities, academic achievement and cognitive development is very important for teachers, school psychologists and other stakeholders. The relationship among physical activity, academic achievement and mental health has long been theorized to be of profound importance in understanding human behavior and development. This review article aims specifically to highlight the state of existing research pertaining to the relationship between physical activity and the state of mental health. Different studies, summarized here, have found that healthy levels of physical activity generally correlate with mental health and academic achievement. This review result has showed that there was a significant relationship between physical fitness level and academic achievement and higher academic achievement was associated with higher levels of physical fitness. Increased physical activity levels and fitness can improve bone and musculoskeletal function and help alleviate or relieve depression, anxiety and stress. Generally, the previous research findings from large-scale observational studies indicate that participation in physical activity has a small to moderate effect in prevention and management of the risk of depression and anxiety which in turn have effect on academic achievement and mental health. Physical activity is a relatively cheap and non-harmful lifestyle intervention that can easily be implemented into school settings.