Association of physical activity and mental health symptoms to the academic performance of physical therapy students in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Physical activity and mental health may influence the academic performance. The aim of this study was to assess the association between physical activity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic performance among physical therapy students in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 600 undergraduate physical therapy students. Participants completed questionnaires including Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and grade point average (GPA). Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to find independent predictors of academic performance. Most participants were male (72.16%), aged from18 to 22 years (89.83%), and had low physical activity levels (88.83%). Mean ± SD scores were 11.16 ± 7.41 for PARS-3, 4.5 ± 4.30 for GAD-7, and 6.87 ± 4.81 for PHQ-9. Mild or greater anxiety affected 42.3%, and 63.2% reported mild or more serious depressive symptoms. No significant associations were observed between PARS-3, GAD-7, or PHQ-9 categories and GPA. Regression analysis indicated that being older was associated with lower odds of high academic performance, while living with one's family significantly increased the odds of achieving a high GPA. Despite the high prevalence of low physical activity and psychological distress, no significant associations with academic performance were found. Given the association of age and living with one's family, the importance of considering demographic and social-context factors is underscored when developing strategies to support student success.