Research
Adherence
Adding up to one hour of daily physical activity to the school curriculum does not negatively impact academic achievement and may improve learning efficiency.
Schools should not cut physical education to focus on test prep. Adding up to an hour of daily activity does not hurt grades and may help students learn better. Keep PE and recess.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A review of studies concludes that up to an hour of daily physical activity programs can be added to a school curriculum by taking time from other subjects without hurting students’ academic achievement in those subjects (Trudeau and Shephard 2008).
Why this rating
Based on a review of studies cited (Trudeau and Shephard 2008).
Source
Schools and Obesity Prevention: Creating School Environments and Policies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
Mary Story et al. · Milbank Quarterly · 2009
DOI 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00548.x
narrative_reviewCited 838×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- The widespread availability of competitive foods (sodas, snacks) in schools is causally linked to increased total calorie, fat, and sugar intake and decreased fruit and vegetable consumption in students.Good
- Farm-to-school programs and school gardens show promise in increasing fruit and vegetable intake and meal participation, but rigorous evaluation is lacking.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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