Association Between Fitness, Nutritional Status and Academic Performance in Physical Education Students.

INTRODUCTION: several studies demonstrated that regular physical exercise would impact positively on the academic performance of students. OBJECTIVE: to determine the association between physical fitness, nutritional status and academic performance of students of Pedagogy in Physical Education from Temuco, Chile. METHODS: the sample was selected on a non-probabilistic approach, which included 208 subjects (n = 153 women and n = 55 women). The variables studied were physical fitness (short Abs, long jump with feet together, forward trunk flexion, elbow flexion and extension and "course navette" test), nutritional status (BMI) and academic performance (classified as up and down the academic average). RESULTS: 87.5% of students have a satisfactory fitness and a BMI of 23.8 ± 2.9 kg/m2. The students with the best academic performance were those with the higher proportion of satisfactory physical condition (92.5 %). No association between academic performance and nutritional status was determined, but it was observed between low fitness and a great risk of low academic performance (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.0 to 8 1; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: a relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness among students is observed, but no for the nutritional status and the academic performance.