Healthy body, healthy mind: Long-term mutual benefits between classroom and sport engagement in children from ages 6 to 12 years

Abstract

Past research suggests that the relationship between health and schooling is axiomatic. Physical activity, including sport participation, putatively facilitates school performance. However, the direction of this link lacks clarity. We examine the mutual links between sport and classroom engagement in 452 boys and 514 girls from ages 6 to 12 years. Participants are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a prospective-longitudinal birth cohort. First, trajectories of classroom engagement from ages 6 to 10 years, assessed by teachers, were generated using latent class analysis. Second, analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) compared leisure time physical activity, self-reported by children at age 12 years, across trajectories of classroom engagement. Third, ANCOVAs compared classroom engagement, measured by teachers at age 12 years, across trajectories of extracurricular sport between ages 6 to 10 years. We identified two classroom engagement trajectories: ‘High’ (77%) and ‘Moderate’ (23%). For girls, being in the ‘High’ trajectory predicted significantly higher levels of physical activity (F(1, 966) = 5.21, p < .05). For boys, being in the ‘Consistent participation’ extracurricular sport trajectory predicted significantly higher levels of classroom engagement (F(1, 966) = 6.29, p < .05). Our analyses controlled for pre-existing individual and family factors. Our findings suggest that sport participation and engaged classroom behavior positively influence each other during childhood. They support the pertinence of investing financial resources in youth intervention so that children can develop their potential both in sporting contexts and in the classroom to foster optimal growth and development.

[Retracted] Health Information Prediction System of Infant Sports Based on Deep Learning Network

“…The data analysis process collects information and data necessary for further detection and analysis in sports applications. The bivariate Poisson model is used in the infant sports data analysis to find out the actual details about sports activities and provide needed data for the analysis [ 3 ]. The bivariate model first predicts and detects the important details among the information and produces a feasible set of data for the sports data analysis process.…”

Assessing Social Relationship and Network Strength among Sports Organizations and Athletes: A Study on Rajshahi City Corporation

“…Sport is fundamental to the development of a society. In our society, the level of involvement in games and sports is very effective for the development of our children's bodies and minds (Harbec et al, 2021). At the early stages of human life, they learn most of their values from their family and society.…”

A leadership-based framework for improving Saudi Arabian female participation in sports

“…population in engaging physical activity by deploying leaders with transformational leadership, especially those who can motivate effectively. Secondly, these findings can be used to improve the quality of life of Saudi residents by increasing sports engagement, as studies have observed various health benefits such as improved physical and mental health (71,72) and reduced risk of chronic illnesses (73, 74). Thirdly, this study contributes to the lack of female sports research study in Saudi Arabia by providing significance of the relationship between leadership styles and sports engagement among females in Saudi Arabia.…”