12.03.2024

What effects do exercise breaks have on mental well-being and perceived academic performance?

New SGM article published in BMC Public Health

Physical activity has been proven to be beneficial for physical and psychological health as well as for academic achievement. However, especially university students are insufficiently physically active because of difficulties in time management regarding study, work, and social demands. As they are at a crucial life stage, it is of interest how physical activity affects university students' stress load and recovery as well as their academic performance.

Student´s behavior during home studying in times of COVID-19 was examined longitudinally on a daily basis during a ten-day study period (N = 57, aged M = 23.5 years, SD = 2.8, studying between the 1st to 13th semester (M = 5.8, SD = 4.1).

Study results confirm the importance of different physical activities for university students` stress load, recovery experience and perceived academic performance in home studying periods. Universities should promote physical activity to keep their students healthy and capable of performing well in academic study: On the one hand, they can offer opportunities to be physically active in leisure time. On the other hand, they can support physical activity breaks during the learning process and in the immediate location of study.

Teuber, M., Leyhr, D., & Sudeck, G. (2024). Physical activity improves stress load, recovery, and academic performance-related parameters among university students: a longitudinal study on daily level. BMC Public Health, 24(1):598. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18082-z

With the submission of this article, former SGM project coordiantor Monika Teuber successfully completes her doctorate on the topic "The relationship between health, education and physical activity in students - insights for the promotion of physical activity among students to improve their health and study-related functioning in the university setting"! Congratulations and all the best for the future!

Further research work of the SGM BeTaBalance can also be found here.