Objectively Measured Physical Activity During Physical Education and School Recess and Their Associations With Academic Performance in Youth: The UP&DOWN Study.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the associations of objectively measured physical activity in Physical Education and recess with academic performance in youth.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,780 participants aged 6 to 18 years (863 girls). Physical activity was objectively measured by accelerometry and was also classified according to sex- and agespecific quartiles of physical activity intensities. Academic performance was assessed through school records.

RESULTS: Physical activity in physical education (PE) and recess was not associated with academic performance (β ranging from -0.038 to -0.003; all P > .05). Youth in the lowest quartile of physical activity in PE engaged in an average of 1.40 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and those in the highest quartile engaged in 21.60 min (for recess: lowest quartile, 2.20 min; highest quartile, 11.15 min). There were no differences in academic performance between quartiles of physical activity in Physical Education and recess.

CONCLUSIONS: Time spent at different physical activity intensities during PE and recess does not impair academic performance in youth.