Physical Activity and its Relation to Academic Performance among University Students
Agus Hariyanto, Anindya Maratus Sholikhah, Yetty Septiani Mustar, Bayu Agung Pramono, Shidqi Hamdi Pratama Putera

Faculty of Sport Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Abstract

The benefits of physical activity (PA) are widely known. However, the correlation between physical activity and academic performance needs further investigation. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the association between those variables in university students. The data for this cross-sectional study were gathered from a convenience sample of students from Universitas Negeri Surabaya aged between 18 and 22 years. Socio-demographic characteristic (anthropometric, parental factor, health-related behaviour) was obtained using an online self-administered questionnaire. Physical activity levels were self-reported with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and academic performance was assessed using Grade Point Average (GPA) from the last final semester exam. The finding reveals that age (p=0.072, r=0.142), weight (p=0.840, r=-0.026), height (p=0.799, r=0.244), and body mass index (p=0.154, r=-0.251) do not significantly correlate with academic performance measured using GPA. The positive correlation is only found between physical activity and academic performance (p=0.032, r=0.450). Most of students in this study practiced physical activity in moderate level (600 - 3000 METs/min/week) and achieved good academic performance (n=124, 64.6%). Further cross tabulation analysis using Chi Square shows that level of PA associates with academic performance in general (p=0.044). This finding supports the previous literatures with evidence that regular physical activity may relate to academic performance in university students.

Keywords: academic performance, exercise, GPA, health-related behavior, physical activity, university, student

Topic: The Future of Education Post Covid-19