Relationship between extra-curricular physical exercise and physical fitness, lifestyle and academic performance

Introduction: The practice of physical activity (PA) triggers positive adaptations on health. Extracurricular sport activities represent a strategy to increase hours of PA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of extracurricular PA on physical condition (PC), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), screen time, and academic level. Material and method: In collaboration with three educational centers of Soria, the participants of the study completed several validated questionnaires related to PA information and lifestyle. Different physical tests were conducted to assess pupils’ PC and the centers provided information related to academics. Result: A total of 199 students (51.3% females), mean age 9.9 (standard deviation [ED] 1.4) years, were included in the study. Average weekly of PA hours was 3.3 (DE 1.6), and 51.3% of the pupils performed extracurricular sport activities. The results of the study showed statistically differences (P <0.05) on body mass index, screening time, and academic records between those pupils that performed extracurricular sport activities and those that did not perform any extracurricular activity. We observed a moderate negative correlation between weekly PA hours and screen time (r = -0.46, P <0.001) and a moderate strong positive correlation for academic records (r=0.56, P <0.001). The multivariate logistic regression model revealed that boys had a higher likelihood (odds ratio [OR] 3.59, confidence interval [CI] 95% 1.17-11.05) of practicing extracurricular sport activities compared to girls. Moreover, practicing extracurricular sport activities was significantly associated with lower screen time (OR 0.68, CI 95% 0.57-1.81) and better performance on academics (OR 3.63, CI 95% 2.07-6.37). Conclusion: Our results reinforce the need to develop strategies for the promotion and management of environments that promote extracurricular sport activities.