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Exercising regularly improves teens’ academic performance, a research suggests. The moderate to vigorous exercise daily has more helping effects on girl and they tend to do better in science.

The research finds that more intensive exercise is taken, better the result is. Authors of the research also say that if these are confirmed by further research, it could be implemented for public health and education policy.

The findings of the research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is based on a representative sample of almost 5000 children who were all part of the study in 90s known as Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).

For measuring the duration and intensity of every child’s physical activity levels, they used a device named accelerometer which was worn on an elasticated belt.

The results by accelerometer showed that the average minutes daily of moderate to vigorous exercise of 11 years boys were 29. In case of girls it was 18. These results are far less than the recommended 60 minutes.

Other factors that also influence the child’s academic performance are oily fish intake and smoking during pregnancy, birthweight, current weight, mother’s age at delivery and socioeconomic factors. These were also adjusted accordingly.

“This is an important finding, especially in light of the current UK and European Commission policy aimed at increasing the number of females in science subjects,” commented authors in a press release.

“If moderate to vigorous physical activity does influence academic attainment this has implications for public health and education policy by providing schools and parents with a potentially important stake in meaningful and sustained increases in physical activity,” they concluded.