Physical Fitness, Physical Activity And Academic Achievement In School Going Children: A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to examine the available literature related to association of physical fitness and physical activity with academic achievement in school going children. Methodology: Literature was searched with the use of many electronic databases (Google Scholar, CINAHL, Pubmed central and Oxford Press, Science direct, National Library of Medicine (Pubmed), Biomed Central).Additionally, more reference articles were searched to increase the search of accuracy. Results: Results of most of the studies evaluating the relationship of the physical fitness and physical activity with academic achievement are contradictory. Findings from the most of the studies indicated either a positive or null association. Negative association was found to be very rare. Missing from this literature is a clear understanding of whether individually or collectively physical activity and physical fitness influences the academic achievement & executive function is lacking in current literature. Conclusion: Most of literature suggests that increasing physical activity and aerobic fitness are often proposed as a way to improve children’s health, physical fitness and Academic achievement but there has been some inconsistency across studies concerning the relation between physical activity, physical fitness and academic achievement. This is due in part to measurement and methodological issues (e.g., measuring only physical activity or only aerobic fitness, lack of adequate control for confounding factors).This could be an active topic of future research. So the more studies are necessary for providing definite evidence to confirm this relationship.