The bidirectional longitudinal association between academic performance and cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents

Introduction. The limited prior research examining the association between academic performance and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in youth did not explore the reciprocal association between these constructs and analysed CVD risk factors individually. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the bidirectional longitudinal association between clustered CVD risk score and academic performance in adolescents over a 24 month interval.
Methods. A total of 237 adolescents (45.6% girls), aged 13.9±0.3 years old at baseline, from DADOS (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud) study were included in this study. A clustered CVD risk score was created by calculating the mean age- and gender-standardized z-scores of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-ratio, triglycerides, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and cardiorespiratory fitness (inversed). Academic performance was assessed through the final academic grades and the Test of Educational Abilities.
Results. Our results showed that the clustered CVD risk score at baseline was not associated with academic performance 24 months later (all p > 0.05). Nevertheless, except for physical education, academic grades at baseline were inversely associated with clustered CVD risk score at follow-up in adolescents (β ranged from -0.140 to -0.102; all p < 0.05). No associations were found between academic abilities at baseline and clustered CVD risk score at follow-up (all p > 0.05).
Conclusion. Academic grades could help predict CVD risk 24 months later during adolescence. Education professionals should foster adolescents’ academic performance not only to improve academic results but also to maximize future cardiovascular health benefits.