Lifestyle Habits Predict Academic Performance in High School Students: The Adolescent Student Academic Performance Longitudinal Study (ASAP)

This study aimed to determine if lifestyle habits could predict changes in cognitive control and academic performance in high school students using a longitudinal approach. One hundred and eighty-seven grade seventh to ninth students (mean age: 13.1 ± 1.0 years old) completed a 3-year prospective study. Lifestyle habits, cognitive control, and academic performance were assessed every year during the 3-year study. Results show that in female students, screen time measures were negatively correlated with academic performance and cognitive control. Furthermore, changes (Δs) in sleeping habits were associated with Δs in academic performance in both genders, whereas Δs in eating habits and in studying time were correlated with Δs in academic performance only in male students. Moreover, in female students, screen time, social media use, and eating habits measures seem to predict the variance in the Δs of cognitive control measures (r(2) between 8.2% and 21.0%), whereas, in male students, studying time, eating, and sleeping habits appear to explain the variance in the Δs of academic performance measures (r(2) between 5.9% and 24.8%). In conclusion, results of the present study indicate that lifestyle habits were able to predict Δs in cognitive control and academic performance of high school students during a 3-year period.