Influence of healthy lifestyles on academic engagement and academic performance in adolescents

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between healthy lifestyle and engagement in school and academic performance.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, correlational study involving 359 adolescents, 162 boys and 197 girls, aged 13-20 years. Physical activity, sedentary screen time, sleep duration and adherence to the Mediterranean diet were collected through self-completed questionnaires. Students also reported on their commitment to their studies, while academic performance was calculated as a mean score of the adolescents' grades in the subject’s first language (Language), second language (English), mathematics and physical education.

Results: Students with higher levels of physical activity and greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet were more committed to their studies, and those who complied with the stipulated screen time and showed adherence to the Mediterranean pattern obtained better academic results. No significant results were found for screen time and sleep time with study engagement, nor for physical activity and sleep time with academic performance.

Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of promoting physical activity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in order to achieve greater commitment to studies. We also found that adolescents who consumed less screen time and had a higher adherence to the Mediterranean pattern showed higher academic performance.