The Influence of Aerobic Fitness on the Relationship between Academic Performance and Motor Proficiency

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether physical fitness mediates the relationship between academic performance and motor proficiency in children. Methods: The academic achievement of 1864 students (F:926, M:938, age 11.91 (SD:0.34) from the Niagara Region of Ontario was derived from the average of provincial standardized tests for reading, writing, and mathematics. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance (short-form) determined motor proficiency. Fitness (peak oxygen uptake) was established with the 20-metre shuttle run multistage test. Results: Hierarchical linear modeling identified several significant predictors of academic performance. After controlling for age (p=0.7002), gender (p<0.0001), and parental education (p<0.0001), both motor proficiency (p<0.0001) and physical fitness (p=0.0004) remained significant. The addition of physical fitness to the model reduced the point estimate of motor proficiency from 0.004 to 0.003, a reduction of 25%. However, further examination of the 95% confidence intervals suggests that this reduction is not significant. Conclusions: These results suggest that aerobic fitness does not mediate the relationship between motor proficiency and academic performance. Both physical fitness and motor proficiency have independent roles in predicting academic performance.