Exercise Behavior And Recreational Sport Participation Predict Academic Success And Graduation In University Students

Document Type

Conference Presentation

Department

Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences Department

Conference Title

American College of Sports Medicine - Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise conference

Organization

American College of Sports Medicine

Location

Denver, CO

Date of Presentation

6-1-2023

Journal Publication

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

ISSN

0195-9131

DOI

10.1249/01.mss.0000985356.60383.73

Volume

55

Issue

9S

First Page

595

Last Page

596

Abstract

Most universities offer fitness and recreational opportunities. Few prospective studies have measured the effect of those services on academic outcomes. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of exercise behavior and recreational sport participation on student success. METHODS: We tracked 1,506 students at a private D1 university for 4 years. Upon completion of the 2017-2018 academic year, we exported a registry of every undergraduate student who accessed the university fitness center. We documented whether they participated in club sports (CS), intramural sports (IS), group exercise classes (GEC), or special activity classes (SAC), as well as the frequency of visits to the facility; these served as independent variables. We also recorded grade point average (GPA) and whether the students had graduated upon completion of the 2021-2022 academic year; these served as dependent variables. Independent-samples t-tests and chi-squared tests measured group differences in academic outcomes. Linear and logistic regressions tested the effects of combinations of independent variables on GPA and graduation respectively. RESULTS: 9.6% of students participated in CS, 7.4% participated in IS, 8.9% participated in GEC, and 3.3% participated in SAC. Mean GPA was 3.1 ± 0.6 and 75.7% successfully graduated. Significant and trending elevations of GPA were observed in students who participated in GEC (p < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.2 to 0.4) and CS (p = 0.072; 95% CI: -0.0 to 0.2). Graduation rate was 10.8 percentage points higher in students who participated in IS (p = 0.010) and 23.1 points higher in SAC participants (p < 0.001). Linear regression predicting GPA included 4 significant and trending predictors: sex (β = 0.163; p < 0.001), CS participation (β = 0.093; p = 0.063), GEC participation (β = 0.187; p < 0.001), and number of visits to the fitness facility (β = 0.004; p < 0.001). Logistic regression for graduation included 4 significant and trending predictors: sex (OR = 1.253; p = 0.070), IS participation (OR = 2.131; p = 0.007), SAC participation (OR = 15.491; p = 0.007), and number of facility visits (OR = 1.008; p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: Increased involvement in exercise and recreational sports associated with a higher GPA and increased odds of graduation. Administrative emphasis of fitness programming may be an effective way to enhance student success.

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