FRIDAY,Aug.3(HealthDayNews)--Middleschoolstudentswhoarephysicallyfitarelikelytoscorehigheronstandardizedtestsmeasuringreadingandmathabilities,anewstudyhasfound.And,theaveragescoreswentupinconnectionwithle

　　FRIDAY,Aug.3(HealthDayNews)--Middleschoolstudents whoarephysicallyfitarelikelytoscorehigheronstandardizedtestsmeasuringreadingandmathabilities,anewstudyhasfound.And,theaveragescoreswentupinconnectionwithlevelsoffitness,thefindingsshowed.

　　“Themorephysicallyfitkidswere,thehighertheirscores,”saidthestudy’sleadauthor,TrentPetrie,directoroftheCenterforSportPsychologyattheUniversityofNorthTexasinDenton.“Parentsshouldencouragetheirkidstobephysicallyactive.Therearesomerealcognitive(认知的)andacademicbenefitsthatcomefromphysicalfitness”,Petriesaid.

　　ResultsofthestudyarescheduledtobepresentedFridayattheannualmeetingoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationinOrlando,Fla.Thestudyincludedmorethan1,200 middleschoolstudents fromfiveschoolsinasuburbanareaofTexas,with561boysand650girls.About57percentofthechildrenwerewhite,andnearlyone-quarterwereMexicanAmerican.Ninepercentwereblackandabout2percentwereofAsiandescent.

　　Theschooldistrictprovidedtheresearcherswithinformationonthechildren’srace,age,gradelevelandwhethertheyqualifiedforthefreeschoollunchprogram,whichwasanindicatorofthefamily’ssocioeconomicstatus.Theschoolsalsoprovidedscorestothetests,whichweregivenbetweenoneandfourmonthsaftertheresearchershadassessedthechildren’slevelsoffitness.Fitnesstestswereadministeredduring physicaleducation classestodeterminetheyoungsters’heartandlunghealth(cardiorespiratoryfitness),aswellastheirbodymassindex(BMI),anindicatorofhowmuchbodyfatapersonhas.Thechildrenalsofilledoutquestionnairesthathelpedtheresearchersdeterminefactorssuchasself-esteemandsocialsupport.

　　Afteraccountingforfactorssuchasage,sex,familyincomeandself-esteem,theresearchersfoundthatforbothboysandgirls,higherlevelsofheartandlunghealth predictedbetterscoresonboththemathandreadingtests.

　　Forboys,perceived(感观的)socialsupportalsoseemedtoincreasetheirreadingscores,theinvestigatorsfound.Ingirls,whilebeingphysicallyfitpredictedhigherreadingscores,sotoodidahigherBMI--whichindica