Physical activity, leisure-time, cognition and academic grades: Connections and causal effects in Chinese students

Academic achievement and positive leisure activities are traditionally considered significant
determinants of economic growth and human capital accumulation. This paper estimates the
impact of physical activity on academic outcome and time allocation to 25 different types of
leisure activity by Chinese adolescents. We use structural equation models (SEM) to explore the
channels of this transmission. Our results suggest that physical exercise not only exerts a positive
direct effect on academic outcome but also increases (decreases) students’ time devoted to activities that are positively (negatively) correlated with academic outcome. All the effects are
statistically significant but modest at the individual level. Our findings are robust to different
exercise frequencies and academic outcome indicators based on students’ self-assessment, academic scores, and cognitive tests.