WKU News

Health-Risk Behaviors and Academic Achievement

What is the relationship between health-risk behaviors and academic achievement?

Data presented below from the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) show a negative association between health-risk behaviors and academic achievement among high school students after controlling for sex, race/ethnicity, and grade level. This means that students with higher grades are less likely to engage in health-risk behaviors than their classmates with lower grades, and students who do not engage in health-risk behaviors receive higher grades than their classmates who do engage in health-risk behaviors. These associations do not prove causation. Further research is needed to determine whether low grades lead to health-risk behaviors, health-risk behaviors lead to low grades, or some other factors lead to both of these problems.

Students with higher grades are significantly less likely to have engaged in behaviors such as

Carrying a weapon

Current cigarette use

Current alcohol use

Being currently sexually active

Watching television 3 or more hours per day

Being physically active at least 60 minutes per day on fewer than 5 days (doing any kind of physical activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time on fewer than 5 days during the 7 days before the survey). (on an average school day). (having sexual intercourse with at least one person during the 3 months before the survey). (having at least one drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey). (smoking cigarettes on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey). (for example, a gun, knife, or club on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey).

For more information visit, open this PDF file: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health_risk_behaviors.pdf