Examining the Relationship Between Exercise based Physical Education Courses and Students Academic Success

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The relationship between a college student’s health and academic success is complex. However, previous studies show that academic success positively correlates with personal health. For adults to maintain physical health, The Center for Disease Control recommends two and a half hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Further, we also know that academic success increases with the amount of time a student spends on campus. At Pasadena City College (PCC), there are a variety of physical education courses in which students engage in weekly moderate exercise. This study addresses the hypothesis that PCC students taking physical education courses are in better general health, spend more time on campus, and demonstrate greater academic success than students not enrolled in physical education courses. We tested our hypothesis by administering a survey and measuring a common indicator of general health (blood pressure). We tested a total of 65 students enrolled in non-physical education courses (by visiting 5 courses) and 54 students enrolled in physical education courses (by visiting 5 courses). Student success was measured with a survey that included questions concerning standard metrics of academic success (letter grade of C or higher in all courses) and retention (planned re-enrollment in the next semester). Our data shows that students enrolled in physical education courses are more likely to have a C or higher in their courses. Interestingly, we did not see a statistically relevant increase in time spent on campus for students enrolled in physical education courses than their peers. This was the same for retention. This study is likely to be of interest to those concerned with the correlation between student health and achievement. As such, we propose a number of ways this study could potentially help inform policy at Pasadena City College regarding issues surrounding equity, student success, and access to campus resources.