@article{ref1,
title="Organized leisure-time sport participation and academic achievement in preadolescents",
journal="Scandinavian journal of public health",
year="2017",
author="Sævarsson, Elvar Smari and Svansdottir, Erla and Sveinsson, Thorarinn and Ásgeirsdóttir, Tinna Laufey and Arngrimsson, Sigurbjorn Arni and Johannsson, Erlingur",
volume="45",
number="8",
pages="861-868",
abstract="AIMS: The aims of this study were to study the correlation between lifestyle-related factors, such as organized leisure-time sport participation (OLSP), cardiorespiratory fitness, and adiposity, and academic achievement among preadolescents. <br><br>METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 248 nine-year-old school children was carried out. OLSP was self-reported with parental assistance, categorized as ≤ 1× a week, 2-3× a week, and ≥ 4× times a week or more. Academic achievement was estimated with results from standardized test scores in Icelandic and math. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated using a maximal cycle ergometer test. The sum of four skinfolds was used to estimate adiposity. <br><br>RESULTS: Tests of between-subjects effect indicated that OLSP significantly correlated with achievement in math only (F(2,235) = 3.81, p = 0.024). Further analysis showed that the two less active groups had significantly lower scores in math compared to the most active group with OLSP ≥ 4× times a week or more (2-3× times a week, unstandardized coefficient (b) = -4.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-7.09, -1.07]; ≤ 1× a week, b = -3.84, 95% CI [-7.59, -0.08]), independent of sex, age, maturity level (age to/from peak height velocity), family structure, and parental education. Neither cardiorespiratory fitness nor adiposity significantly correlated with academic achievements. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The study's result indicates that frequent (four times per week or more often) sport participation is not harmful but may be beneficial to learning. However, further intervention-based study of this topic is needed to determine if this relationship is causal.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1403-4948",
doi="10.1177/1403494817705560",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1403494817705560"
}