Health: Being Physically Fit Helps Students Grades
By Stephanie Stahl
DELAWARE (CBS) -- Being physically fit not only keeps you healthy. It can also help kids get better grades in school, according to a new study. 3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl is here with the results.
For optimal health, experts recommend children get at least two and a half hours of physical activity per week.
The state of Delaware is taking this recommendation seriously, making sure kids in its schools are exercising. In turn they're doing better in the classroom.
For students at Pulaski Elementary School, in Wilmington, exercise is a fun.
"I like to do like basketball," said Felix Oyola Perez, a 4th Grader.
"I like to do push ups," said Majin Labrador, a 4th Grader.
And that fun exercise is paying off in other ways. Nemours Health and Prevention Services and the Delaware Department of Education announced the results of a new study today, with Delaware Governor Jack Markel.
It found students who are more physically fit perform significantly better in both reading and math. It also found students who are less active have lower scores in those subjects and also have more suspension days and absenteeism.
"The mind is not separate from the body. If you have physical health, you're more likely to have academic, cognitive health," said Dave Nichols, with Nemours Health and Prevention Services.
"When you don't do exercise your brain goes off task," said Matthew Ferry, a 4th Grader.
RELATED LINKS: Physical Fitness & School Performance Report | Make School A Moving Experience Information
Researchers analyzed academic and physical fitness records of more than 80,000 students. This is first-of-its-kind data for Delaware, and the first time a study has looked at kids over an entire state.
"We are already working with 72 percent of the elementary schools who've committed to getting 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in their program during the school week. We're hoping to see that expand," said Nichols.
Delaware researchers hope for a state policy soon, requiring all children to get that amount of exercise weekly.
The new study found that fitness and academic were not affected by the students family income and where they lived.
