| Academic achievement and physical activity are some of the most controversial and relevant topics of discussion in the United States today. Collectively, they represent a growing body of research questioning whether these two variables may possibility be related. This research project intended to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in college students. College students represent an adult population that can make their own choices regarding healthful lifestyle practices and can choose their preferred educational field of study. Today's actively enrolled college students reflect the adult cohort that will make up much of the nation's citizenry, making this group an important one to understand. The collegiate student population is severely underrepresented in research regarding questions of potential relationships between academic achievement and physical activity. This shortcoming in the current relevant research was the purpose for which this study was designed.;Using an anonymous online survey instrument, data was collected over a time period of two semesters. Ten thousand currently-enrolled college students eighteen years of age and older from all states and recognized territories of the United States were surveyed. The survey gathered data concerning a student's age, gender, race, body weight, height, geographic region of college attendance, cumulative GPA, and level of physical activity. The FIT Index of Kasari was used to classify each student's physical activity level.;A quintile split by FIT score and descriptive analysis were conducted to determine if physically active students were more successful academically than their inactive peers. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-Test, and descriptive analysis were conducted on data pertaining to secondary research questions regarding FIT scores of students in each geographical region of college attendance, gender and race. The research found that no statistically significant correlation existed between academic achievement and physical activity in college students. It was determined that academic achievement did improve with physical activity up to a point, but that students with very low and very high physical activity levels had lower academic achievement scores than students with moderate physical activity habits. Therefore, the null hypothesis could not be rejected. The research did find significant differences in the FIT scores of students in the northwest, but not among students in the southwest, northeast, or southeast. Significant differences in FIT scores were also found to exist between males and females and between white and non-white college students. The research found a number of significant differences between groups within the quintile split of FIT score data regarding the primary research question. When the sample was segmented by FIT score categories, differences began to appear. More research should be conducted using these variables in order to better understand the possible relationship that physical activity may have with academic achievement in a college population. |
