Is aerobic fitness or BMI the better predictor of academic performance?

Image: Mosborne01Is a child’s weight or their aerobic fitness the better predictor of academic performance? Researchers of the Partnership for Healthy Lincoln in Nebraska studied this question in fourth- to eighth-grade students and published their findings in the August 2013 Journal of Pediatrics.

“Aerobic fitness was defined by entering the healthy fitness zone of Fitnessgram's Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run, which has been shown to correlate highly with maximum oxygen consumption.” 

Academic performance was assessed in relation to passing the Nebraska State Accountability math and reading tests. Adjustments were made for factors such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and free/reduced lunch status.

“After adjustment, aerobically fit students had greater odds of passing the NeSA math and reading tests compared with aerobically unfit students.”

The researchers concluded:

“Aerobic fitness was a significant predictor of academic performance; weight status was not. Although decreasing BMI for an overweight or obese child undoubtedly improves overall health, results indicated all students benefit academically from being aerobically fit regardless of weight or free/reduced lunch status. Therefore, to improve academic performance, school systems should focus on the aerobic fitness of every student.”

Source: Evidence that aerobic fitness is more salient than weight status in predicting standardized math and reading outcomes in fourth- through eighth-grade students.