Gender-specific influence of health behaviors on academic performance in Spanish adolescents: The AFINOS study

Introduction: New paradigms based on the multifactorial etiology of chronic diseases and behavioral outcomes suggest that a combination of health behaviors may have more impact on the outcome of interest than any single factor. Objective: To examine the independent and combined influence of four hea...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez-Gómez, David, Veiga Núñez, Óscar Luis, Gómez-Martínez, Sonia, Zapatera, Belén, Martínez-Hernández, David, Calle, María Elisa, Marcos, Ascensión
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/665869
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/665869
https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5633
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Academic performance
Adolescents
Nutrition
Physical activity
Sedentary patterns
Sleep
Educación
Medicina
Descripción
Sumario:Introduction: New paradigms based on the multifactorial etiology of chronic diseases and behavioral outcomes suggest that a combination of health behaviors may have more impact on the outcome of interest than any single factor. Objective: To examine the independent and combined influence of four health behaviors on school performance in Spanish adolescents. Methods: A total of 1825 Spanish adolescents reported their grades in Language and Literature (LL) and Math. Body mass index, family structure and school-related factors (attitude to school, need to repeat ≥ 1-yr and absenteeism) were self-reported. Adolescents were dichotomized as healthy or unhealthy based on meeting or not meeting lifestyle recommendations on physical activity, TV viewing, sleep and fruit intake. Each adolescent was also scored according to the number of healthy recommendations fulfilled. Results: In boys, there were no associations between health behaviors and academic performance. Good academic performance in girls was associated with physical activity (P < 0.05) or fruit consumption (P < 0.05). Moreover, girls who scored 3-4 health behaviors showed higher odds of passing LL (OR = 3.18, P < 0.001), Math (OR = 1.75, P = 0.028) or LL+Math (OR = 2.32, P = 0.001) compared with those with 0-1 health behaviors. All the analyses were adjusted by weight status, family context and different school-related factors. Conclusions: A combination of health behaviors may have a positive influence on academic performance in adolescent girls.