ArticleCureus2023
Correlation of Physical Activity to Mental Health State and Grade Point Average Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical activity levels among college students in Saudi Arabia.Saudi medical journal · 2025Pooled it
- Mental health among pharmacy students, assessing predictors of clinically significant anxiety and depression: a cross-sectional study from Jordan.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- The impact of physical activity on mental health across diverse populations in Saudi Arabia: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Movement as therapy an analytical study of the role of physical activity in building strong mental health for older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Physical exercise and academic performance among students in the medical field at Jordanian Universities.PloS one · 2026Article
- Associations of physical activity, disordered eating, and depressive symptoms with academic performance among Saudi university students.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The invisible wounds of war: a study of insomnia and psychological distress among healthcare students in conflict-affected Syria.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Anxiety, Academic Performance, and Physical Activity in University Students: A Scoping Review.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Review
- The relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in medical students: a single-institution cross-sectional study in Sudan.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Gender differences in the relationship between mental health and academic performance among undergraduate students at a medical school in Shanghai: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Assessing the Association Between Meeting New 24-h Movement Guidelines and Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Chinese Medical Students: A Multicenter Study.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
- Unhealthy Lifestyle Contributes to Negative Mental Health and Poor Quality of Life in Young University Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Associations between total physical activity levels and academic performance in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPhysical activity (PA) significantly impacts mental health. However, studies addressing the influence of PA on the mental health and academic performance of medical students are scarce. MATERIALS AND
methodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 2,819 students pursuing their medical degrees in Saudi Arabia. PA was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the state of their mental health was recorded using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A multi-logistic regression was performed to predict the risk factor of poor academic performance.
resultsThe prevalence of abnormal anxiety and depression levels were found to be 45.3% and 31.6%, respectively, which were comparatively more prevalent among students of younger age (p < 0.001). Students with abnormal anxiety levels had significantly lower grade point average (GPA) levels than others (p < 0.001). Those who were aged < 21 years, female gender, with chronic disease presence, low PA levels, and abnormal anxiety levels were independently associated with lower GPA levels (p < 0.05).
conclusionLow PA and high anxiety and depression levels were found to affect the academic performance of medical students in Saudi Arabia. Hence, health education about the importance of PA should be directed to those students.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.