title: Scheduled physical activity is associated with better academic performance in Chilean school-age children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was carried out to examine the association between systematic physical activity and academic performance in school kids after controlling for potential sociodemographic and educational confounders.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a random sample of 1271 students from urban Santiago, attending 5th and 9th grade, who took the 2009 System for the Assessment of Educational Quality (SIMCE) tests, we measured physical activity habits, anthropometric characteristics, and socioeconomic status. Academic performance was measured by the standardized SIMCE tests. Logistic regressions assessed the relationship between the allocation of time to weekly scheduled exercise, potential confounding factors, and individual academic performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 80% of students reported less than 2 hours of weekly scheduled exercise, while 10.6% and 10.2% reported 2 to 4 hours/week and more than 4 hours/week, respectively. Devoting more than 4 hours/week to scheduled exercise significantly increased (P < .01) the odds of having SIMCE composite z-scores ≥ 50th percentile (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4 to 3.6) and ≥ 75th percentile (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Better academic performance was associated with a higher allocation of time to scheduled exercise in school-age children.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Nutritional Epidemiology and Genetics, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (University of Chile), Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Correa-Burrows
authors.forename: Yasna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Orellana
authors.forename: Atilio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almagiá
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lizana
authors.forename: Daniza
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ivanovic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002677:Chile; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D012574:Schools; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students