Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42330000›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Gendered patterns in the associations between in-school physical activity, classroom peer ecology, and academic achievement among primary school students.

Anni Byman, Sanna Ulmanen, Kirsi Pyhältö, Heidi Syväoja, Janne Kulmala, Tuija H Tammelin

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Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Anni BymanFaculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3681-566X
Sanna UlmanenFaculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Kirsi PyhältöFaculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Heidi SyväojaLikes, School of Health and Social Studies, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Janne KulmalaLikes, School of Health and Social Studies, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Tuija H TammelinLikes, School of Health and Social Studies, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

School is an important setting for increasing students' engagement in physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary time (ST), both of which are linked to health and academic achievement. Peer interactions within the classroom can influence students' engagement in PA and sedentary behaviors during the school day, yet research on how classroom peer ecology relates to objectively measured in-school PA and ST is limited. Even less is known about gender differences in these associations. The objective of this study was to examine how students' perceived classroom peer ecology is associated with in-school PA and ST and how these factors relate to academic achievement. Gendered patterns in these dynamics were also explored. A sample of 517 Finnish primary school students (53% girls, 47% boys, Mage = 11.6 years, SDage = 0.9 years) participated in this cross-sectional study in 2013. Students' perceptions of classroom peer ecology were investigated through a survey. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST during school hours were measured by hip-worn accelerometers. Grade point averages (GPA) were calculated based on subject grades. Associations were investigated through multigroup structural equation modeling analyses. In girls, positive classroom peer relations were associated with lower in-school MVPA, while greater in-school ST was linked to higher GPA. Among boys, higher in-school MVPA was related to higher GPA. Although the MVPA-related associations differed in statistical significance across groups, subsequent formal tests did not indicate statistically significant gender differences, and hence further studies are needed on the subgroup-specific patterns to confirm or invalidate the findings. Efforts to promote a physically active school day could benefit from considering how activity opportunities are experienced within peer dynamics and in relation to gender, including the need for socially inclusive approaches.

Indexed as

Academic SuccessExercisePeer GroupSchoolsStudentsChildCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFinlandHumansMaleSedentary BehaviorSex Factors

Identifiers

PMID42330000
PMCPMC13286205

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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.