title: Associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with academic skills--a follow-up study among primary school children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are no prospective studies that would have compared the relationships of different types of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with academic skills among children. We therefore investigated the associations of different types of PA and SB with reading and arithmetic skills in a follow-up study among children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were 186 children (107 boys, 79 girls, 6-8 yr) who were followed-up in Grades 1-3. PA and SB were assessed using a questionnaire in Grade 1. Reading fluency, reading comprehension and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests at the end of Grades 1-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among all children more recess PA and more time spent in SB related to academic skills were associated with a better reading fluency across Grades 1-3. In boys, higher levels of total PA, physically active school transportation and more time spent in SB related to academic skills were associated with a better reading fluency across the Grades 1-3. Among girls, higher levels of total PA were related to worse arithmetic skills across Grades 1-3. Moreover, total PA was directly associated with reading fluency and arithmetic skills in Grades 1-3 among girls whose parents had a university degree, whereas these relationships were inverse in girls of less educated parents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total PA, physically active school transportation and SB related to academic skills may be beneficial for the development of reading skills in boys, whereas factors that are independent of PA or SB may be more important for academic skills in girls.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01803776.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Haapala
authors.affiliation: Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna-Maija
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Poikkeus
authors.affiliation: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Katriina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kukkonen-Harjula
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Tuomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tompuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Niina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lintu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Institute of Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Juuso
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Väistö
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Paavo H T
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Leppänen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Laaksonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Virpi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lindi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lakka
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics / Q000193:education; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D011932:Reading; D012574:Schools; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires