Association between physical activity and grade point average among a cohort of pharmacy students in didactic years

Introduction: The physical activity (PA) behavior and its association with academic performance has not been examined among professional pharmacy (PharmD) students in didactic years. Methods: A survey was administered to a cohort of PharmD students at University of Houston that collected information related to each student's PA and grade point average (GPA). Correlation analyses and multiple regression were performed to evaluate factors associated with GPA. Results: The response rate was 58.1%. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that learning capacity and gender were major predictors for GPA. There was no significant association between PA and GPA. Discussion and conclusions: Higher learning capacity and lower body mass index (BMI) were associated with higher GPA in PharmD students in their didactic years. Strategies such as engaging students in moderate to vigorous PA may enhance learning capacity and lower BMI; this may further positively influence students' GPA. In addition to an emphasis on academic competence, pharmacy education that can better incorporate exercise would help students establish regular PA behaviors. This may improve their health outcomes and facilitate future patient counseling practices.