scholarly journals Relationship between fatness, physical fitness, and academic performance in normal weight and overweight schoolchild handball players in Qatar State

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246476
Author(s):  
Souhail Hermassi ◽  
Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly ◽  
Lars Bojsen Michalsik ◽  
Nilihan E. M. Sanal ◽  
Lawrence D. Hayes ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between physiological parameters (namely fatness and physical fitness) with academic performance (namely mathematics and science grade point average [GPA]) in normal weight and overweight schoolchild handball players. Thirty-six young male team handball players (age: 9±1 years; body mass: 45.5±14.2 kg; height: 1.38±9.1 m; body fat: 19.7±5.6%) at the highest national league for their age group participated. Anthropometry was examined by measuring body mass, body fat percentage (%BF), and body mass index (BMI). Fitness testing included the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (level 1), squat jumps (SJ) and counter-movement jumps (CMJ), and upper-limb throwing performance (2 kg medicine ball seated front throw), a 15 m sprint test, and a T-half test for change-of-direction (COD) ability. Academic performance was evaluated through school records of grade point average (GPA) of mathematics and science. BMI was negatively correlated with science GPA (r = -0.57, p<0.001) and mathematics GPA (r = -0.39, p<0.001). Significant correlations between Yo-Yo test performance and science GPA (r = 0.73, p<0.001) and mathematics GPA (r = 0.66, p<0.001) existed. T-half test score (less time taken meant a superior performance) was negatively correlated with science GPA (r = 0.48, p = 0.003) and mathematics GPA (r = 0.63, p<0.01). In conclusion, fatness and physical fitness (except for the upper-muscular strength) were significantly related to academic performance in in schoolchild handball players. Based on results of this study, it seems pragmatic and appropriate to engage young schoolchild in physical activity as it associates with superior academic performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souhail Hermassi ◽  
Lawrence D. Hayes ◽  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
René Schwesig

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between physical fitness and academic performance in youth handball players of different BMI classifications. Thirty-three male handball players (age: 10.3 ± 0.61 years; body mass: 47.1 ± 12.1 kg; height: 1.43 ± 0.09 m; BMI: 23.1 ± 4.37 kg/m2; body fat: 20.6 ± 6.27%) were recruited from the Qatar handball first league and were assigned to their BMI age-adjusted groups (i.e., normal weight, overweight, and obese). Measurements included anthropometric data (height, mass, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (%BF), and physical performance tests: agility T-half test; squat jump (SJ), and countermovement jump (CMJ), 10 and 15 m sprint; medicine ball throw (MBT). Aerobic capacity was evaluated using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). Academic achievement was assessed through school records of grades point average (GPA) of Mathematics, Science and Arabic. None academic performance parameter and four physical performance parameters (agility T-half: p = 0.035; CMJ: p = 0.001; SJ: p = 0.007; sprint 10 m: p = 0.028) were different between BMI related groups. In 43% (3/7) of performance parameters and all academic parameters, the normal weight group showed the highest performance level, whereas the overweight group had the best performance in both sprint tests. The obese group was only superior in the medicine ball throw, but not at the p &lt; 0.05 level. A relevant relationship (r &gt; 0.5) between academic and physical performance parameters was only found between Yo-Yo IR 1 and science (r = 0.548). A relevant correlation were found between CMJ and BMI (r = −0.569). The agility T-half test was correlated with CMJ (r = −0.614) and 10 m sprint (r = 0.523). These findings suggest being overweight or obese are related to science academic performance among schoolchildren athletes in Qatar. Possibly, a normal BMI could positively influence academic performance. Physical education teachers, staff, and administrators should be cognizant that health promotion interventions improving composition may have the additional potential to improve dimensions of academic performance.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio García-Hermoso ◽  
Cesar Agostinis-Sobrinho ◽  
Gloria Eugenia Camargo-Villalba ◽  
Nubia Mercedes González-Jiménez ◽  
Mikel Izquierdo ◽  
...  

Normal-weight obesity (NWO) syndrome has been shown to be associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction. However, little is known regarding this potential relationship in Latin American children and adolescents. The aim of this study was two-fold: (i) to investigate whether Colombian youth with NWO syndrome have a poorer cardiometabolic profile and physical fitness performance than normal-weight lean (NWL) peers; and (ii) to determine if physical fitness levels are related to prevalence of normal-weight obesity in youth. This was an analytical cross-sectional study of 1919 youths (9–179 years old, 53.0% girls) in the capital area of Colombia. NWO was defined as a body mass index < 25 kg/m2 and a validated body fat percentage above the sex-age-specific 90th percentile for Colombian children and adolescents. Body fat was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was estimated using the 20-meter shuttle run test, and muscular fitness with the handgrip test. Biochemical profile blood samples were collected for cardiometabolic risk factors. After adjusting for chronological age, pubertal stage, and Mediterranean diet adherence, the NWO group (boys and girls) had significantly higher values for cardiometabolic risk factors, and waist circumference (WC) than the NWL group. The prevalence of NWO was lower in youth classified with healthy CRF (boys, odds ratio (OR) = 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37 to 0.78; girls, OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.50), p < 0.001. Our findings indicate that using only body mass index for the assessment of cardiometabolic risk likely misrepresents true adiposity and suggest the need to include the assessment of body fat in the routine clinical evaluation of individuals during childhood and adolescence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 2320-2330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Barnett ◽  
Joseph Hernandez ◽  
Patrick R. Melugin

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether contact with future possible selves impacts individuals’ outcome expectancies, intended behaviors, and long-term outcomes with regard to academic performance. Specifically, we investigated whether having college students attempt to connect with an academically successful or unsuccessful future possible self through a message composition activity would impact their perceived likelihood of getting a good grade point average, intended academic engagement (i.e., intentions to attend class, study, etc.), and academic performance as measured by grade point average over two subsequent semesters. The study was novel in that we considered the role of temporal position—that is, the current self contacting a future possible self or a future possible self contacting the current self. Results found that students who composed a message from an academically unsuccessful future possible self to their current self had lower outcome expectancies—that is, they believed that they had less chance of obtaining a good grade point average—and lower intended academic engagement than a control group that composed a message to a friend; however, the groups did not vary in academic performance. It is possible that contact with a future possible self that was academically unsuccessful introduced a form of learned helplessness in those participants.


Assessment ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Norman S. Giddan ◽  
Stephen G. Jurs ◽  
Marcia Andberg ◽  
Paul Bunnell

This paper reports on the validation of the Academic Performance (AP) Scale, a 40-item true-false, noncognitive questionnaire for each gender, designed to predict college grade point average. The AP Scale predicted college grades in small samples of undergraduates with correlations ranging from .35 to .63 and predicted long-term (at least 5 years) final college grades for men ( r = .37, n = 129) and women, ( r = .41, n = 120). The AP Scale also differentiated among student groups based upon both academic performance and enrollment status at the end of 2 years of college.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
L J Martin ◽  
PJH Jones ◽  
R V Considine ◽  
W Su ◽  
N F Boyd ◽  
...  

To investigate whether circulating leptin levels are associated with energy expenditure in healthy humans, doubly labeled water energy measurements and food intake assessment were carried out in 27 women (mean age, 48.6 years; weight, 61.9 kg; body mass index, 23.2). Energy expenditure was determined over 13 days. Food intake was measured by 7-day food records. Leptin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Leptin level was strongly associated with percentage body fat (r = 0.59; p < 0.001), fat mass (r = 0.60; p < 0.001), and body mass index (r = 0.41; p = 0.03), but no correlation was observed with energy expenditure (r = 0.02; p = 0.93). After controlling for percentage body fat, a positive association of leptin level with energy expenditure of marginal significance (p = 0.06) was observed. There were no significant univariate associations of age, physical activity, lean body mass, height, or dietary variables with leptin level. When controlling for body fat, a significant positive correlation was observed for percent energy from carbohydrate and negative correlations with dietary fat and alcohol intake. These findings confirm previous associations between leptin and body fat content and suggest a relationship between serum leptin and energy expenditure level in healthy humans.Key words: leptin, energy expenditure, body composition, diet.


2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dusanka Lazarevic ◽  
Snezana Radisavljevic-Janic ◽  
Ivana Milanovic ◽  
Ljiljana Lazarevic

Previous researchers have described the relation between physical self-concept and body mass in adolescents, but those relationships have not been clearly specified by gender. The purpose of this study is to explore physical self-concepts of normal-weight and over-weight Serbian adolescents with respect to gender. The sample consisted of 417 primary school students (229 boys and 188 girls) with the average age 13.6 (SD=0.73) years who were divided into normal-weight and overweight groups according to body mass index. To assess the multidimensional physical self-concept, Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) was administered. Results showed that overweight adolescents had significantly lower scores than normal-weight on all PSDQ scales except Health and Strength. Differences were greater among girls than boys. Discriminant analysis showed that the scales Body Fat, Endurance and Sports Competence best differentiated normal-weight boys from other students. Also, discriminant analysis showed that, besides the scale Body Fat, scales Flexibility, Self-Esteem, and Coordination best differentiated normal-weight girls from other students. Results indicate that for better understanding of the relationship between adolescent?s physical self-concept and body mass one must take gender into account. Results are potentially valuable for preventing overweight through physical education.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Roseline O. Ogundokun ◽  
Marion O. Adebiyi ◽  
Oluwakemi C. Abikoye ◽  
Tinuke O. Oladele ◽  
Adewale F. Lukman ◽  
...  

Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is a system for calculation of GPA scores and is one way to determine a student's academic performance in a university setting. In Nigeria, an employer evaluates a student's academic performance using their CGPA score. For this study, data were collected from a student database of a private school in the south-west geopolitical zone in Nigeria. Regression analysis, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance (F-test) were employed to determine the study year that students perform better based on CGPA. According to the results, it was observed that students perform much better in year three (300 Level) and year four (400 Level) compared to other levels. In conclusion, we strongly recommend the private university to introduce program that will improve the academic performance of students from year one (100 level).


Author(s):  
Elina A. Pulkkinen ◽  
Pablo Perez de la Ossa

Objective Previous investigations have studied the relationship between grit and academic performance, and it has been reported that grittier students perform better academically. The objectives of this study are to measure chiropractic students' grittiness and to explore the correlation between grit and academic performance. Methods We distributed the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) questionnaire to chiropractic students in electronic form. We included questions about their previous grade point average and the number of times they had retaken examinations. We scored the overall Grit-S scale and the Consistency of Interest and Perseverance of Effort subscales. A 2-tailed t test and 1-way analysis of variance were used to determine differences between groups. Results The response rate was 87% (n = 110). The mean grit score (3.44 ± 0.60) was similar to the general population and slightly lower than other healthcare professionals. The students who had a grade point average between &lt;80% but less than 90% obtained significantly higher grit scores compared to those who had a grade point average &lt;60% but less than 70%. Similarly, students who had no examination retakes had higher grit scores compared to those who took 4 or more exam retakes. We observed these differences in the overall and subscales scores. No other group showed any difference. Conclusion The results of this research showed that the grittier students performed better academically than the less gritty students. Grit scores can potentially be used to identify the students at risk of failing or dropping out. The role and potential application of grit in chiropractic education, student support, and admission procedures should be further evaluated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1930-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanna M Martinez ◽  
Edward A Frongillo ◽  
Cindy Leung ◽  
Lorrene Ritchie

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, mental health, and academic performance among college students in a California public university system ( N = 8705). Structural equation modeling was performed to examine a direct path from food insecurity to student grade point average and an indirect path through mental health, controlling for demographic characteristics. Food insecurity was related to lower student grade point average directly and indirectly through poor mental health. These findings support the need for future interventions and policy on the importance of providing students with the basic needs to succeed both academically and in the future.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazean Idris ◽  
Li Ling Chaw ◽  
Joe Knights ◽  
Ya Chee Lim

Abstract BackgroundAdmission scores have been used to select highly capable students for an undergraduate medical programme. This study examines the relationship between three admission criteria: (i) multiple-mini-interview (MMI); (ii) pre-university final results (PUFR); (iii) entrance scores (combination of 50% MMI and 50% PUFR), with students’ academic performance in the medical programme at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).MethodsWe performed linear regression analysis on 125 students who completed the programme from 2013 to 2018 and compared their MMI, PUFR and entrance scores with their academic performance throughout their three years of undergraduate study. Academic performance outcomes were assessed from students’ Grade Point Average (GPA), cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) and marks in the modules ‘Health Sciences’ (HS), ‘Patient Care’ (PC), ‘Our Community and Personal Professional Development’ (OCPPD) and Special Study Modules, for overall (six-semesters average) and individual semesters.ResultsSimple linear regression results revealed that one unit increase in MMI score was associated with a significant increase in overall PC marks by 0.09. A 20-unit increase in PUFR was associated with a significant increase in students’ cGPA by 0.05; overall HS marks by 1.0; GPA in semesters 1,2,3,6; HS marks in semesters 1,2,3,6 and OCPPD marks in semesters 2,3. Meanwhile, one unit increase in entrance score was associated with a significant increase in cGPA by 0.01; overall HS by 0.2 marks and overall OCPPD by 0.11 marks. The effect of entrance score was also seen with increase in students’ GPA in semesters 1,2,3,4,6 by at least 0.01, as well as marks for HS in semesters 1,2,3,4,6 and OCPPD in semesters 2,3.ConclusionOur findings support that both PUFR and entrance scores as selection criteria for admission into a medical programme were associated with better academic performances, with PUFR showing a greater mark increase than entrance scores. Meanwhile, MMI showed better academic performance in the patient care module only, inferring that MMI grants a glimpse of candidates’ bedside attitude towards patients.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document