Association between physical fitness, learning strategies and academic achievement in 9- To 11-year-old children

Abstract

Physical activity combats factors that are detrimental to children's health such as body fat percentage and cardiorespiratory fitness. The aim of this study was to compare and correlate VO2peak, body fat, maximal heart rate, academic achievement, and learning strategies in 30 children aged 9 to 11 years. The results showed moderate correlations between academic achievement test (AAT) score in writing, skinfolds and the sum of skinfolds, AAT score in writing and body fat percentage, AAT score in reading and overall percentile of metacognitive strategies, and total AAT score and subscapular skinfold. In conclusion, academic achievement is associated with learning strategies, as well as with body composition variables and body fat percentage.