Correlation of Health-Related Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in School Children of Age Group 15-18 Years Mathur K1, Kalra S2,**, Pawaria S3,*, Parveen A4,*** 1BPT Student, School of Physiotherapy, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi, India 2Associate Professor, School of Physiotherapy, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi, India 3Associate Professor, Faculty of Physiotherapy, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India 4MPT Student, School of Physiotherapy, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, New Delhi, India *(*Corresponding author) email id: sonia@sgtuniversity.org
**sheetalkalra@dpsru.edu.in
***afshaparveen717@gmail.com
Online Published on 17 February, 2024. Abstract Introduction The benefits of physical fitness have been widely known in many domains of wellness. Components of health-related physical fitness are cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Objective To determine correlation between physical activity, physical fitness and academic achievement of school students and to find the difference of physical fitness status of boys and girls. Method The study was conducted in 3 different schools of North Delhi. Four hundred Students were selected in the age group of 15 to 18 years. Their prior semester’s final percentage grades were used to assess their academic performance. Body composition fat percentage, grip strength, abdominal muscle endurance and flexibility was determined using BMI (Body Mass Index), Skin Fold Caliper Method, hand held dynamometer, curl ups and, sit-and-reach test respectively. Cardiovascular fitness was assessed using the 20-meter shuttle run test. Result Physical activity and academic achievement were positively correlated (p <0.05). Additionally, the results revealed a substantial inverse relationship between academic achievement and aerobic capacity (r=−0.447), body mass index (r=−0.265), fat percentage (r=−0.371), and grip strength (r=−0.254). Academic achievement, flexibility and endurance did not significantly correlate (p>0.05). For each of the variables, there was a significant difference between boys and girls (p ≤0.05). Conclusion Study showed a significant correlation between specific components of physical fitness and academic achievement. Physical fitness is a factor in determining academic achievement, so programmes designed to encourage physical exercise in schools should focus on fitness in addition to promoting excellence in academic scores. Top Keywords BMI, Fat percentage, Muscular strength, Muscular endurance, Flexibility, Aerobic capacity, Academic achievement. Top |