Do lifestyle choices affect university students' grades

By Priyanjana Pramanik, MSc.Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Feb 2 2026

From breakfast habits to happiness levels, subtle lifestyle patterns in early university appear to echo how well students performed in school, challenging assumptions about exercise and sleep as drivers of academic success. 

Study: The relationship between secondary school exam performance and lifestyle behaviors at the onset of university education. Image Credit: fast-stock / Shutterstock.com

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers examined the association between academic performance on secondary school graduation exams and current lifestyle behaviors among university students.

How lifestyle factors impact academic performance

Mental and physical health are often determined by a combination of lifestyle factors, including physical activity, nutrition, sleep, sedentary behavior, emotional regulation, and substance use. Physical activity is particularly important for maintaining optimal cardiovascular health and psychological well-being, with emerging evidence highlighting its role in brain plasticity through muscle–brain signaling pathways.

Despite extensive evidence confirming the relationship between healthy behaviors and physical activity to improved mental health and cognitive functioning, it remains unclear how these lifestyle factors influence academic achievement. Similarly, while unhealthy dietary patterns contribute to poorer school performance, few studies have determined the effects of specific foods on cognition.

Researchers compared exam scores with early university lifestyles

The researchers in the current study investigated the relationships between secondary school graduation exam results and health-related behaviors, psychological well-being, and physical indicators measured during the first two years of university. Specifically, 397 undergraduate students aged 19-24 enrolled at three Lithuanian universities were included in the analysis.

Study participants were recruited from programs in sports science, law, and health sciences using convenience sampling, with course-level selection within each department. All participants self-reported good health, were not taking medication, and reported no diagnosis of autism, Asperger’s syndrome, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Academic performance data consisted of self-reported scores from standardized examinations in biology, foreign language, native language, and mathematics. Health-related data were collected during scheduled university seminars in 2024 using electronic questionnaires and standardized physical measurements.

Anthropometric indicators included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure. Sedentary behavior and physical activity were assessed using the Danish Physical Activity Questionnaire, whereas sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Psychological variables included perceived stress, depression-related mood, vigor, and self-rated happiness. Lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, breakfast habits, overeating, and exercise patterns were also recorded. Dietary habits were measured using a food-frequency module adapted from the Finbalt Health Monitor questionnaire, which included both unhealthy and healthy food groups.

Statistical analyses were used to examine gender differences, and multivariable general linear models were applied to identify lifestyle, dietary, and psychological predictors of academic achievement across subjects.

Diet and happiness show subject-specific academic links

Men were more likely than women to have higher BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, and physical activity levels. Compared with male participants, female participants reported higher perceived stress and poorer sleep quality. Gender differences in dietary habits were evident: men consumed more meat, fast food, sugary drinks, and fried potatoes.

Academically, women performed better on native-language exams, whereas men achieved higher scores on foreign-language exams. No gender differences in mathematics or biology exam scores were observed.

Multivariable analyses showed that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sleep quality, and sedentary behavior did not significantly correlate with academic achievement in any subject. Mathematics exam performance negatively correlated with sugar consumption in tea or coffee and positively correlated with non-smoking status.

Native-language performance was higher among females and was positively associated with self-reported happiness. Conversely, foreign language achievement was greater among males and positively correlated with alcohol abstinence and negatively correlated with boiled potato consumption.

Biology exam scores were positively correlated with canned and fresh vegetable intake and regular breakfast consumption, whereas negative associations were observed with sugar consumption in tea or coffee and, in broader models, with higher BMI.

No single factor stood out as a key predictor, highlighting that academic success likely results from complex interactions among biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.

Across analyses, the models' explanatory power was modest, indicating small but systematic relationships.

Lifestyle patterns reflect earlier academic trajectories

Secondary school academic achievement was largely unrelated to sleep quality, sedentary behavior, physical activity, and most psychological factors at university entry, with the notable exception of happiness. Rather, modest, subject-specific associations emerged with dietary patterns, alcohol use, smoking, breakfast habits, body composition, and gender.

Taken together, these findings suggest that lifestyle characteristics measured during the early university years may reflect earlier academic patterns rather than directly influence them.

Key strengths of the study include the comprehensive assessment of multiple lifestyle, physical, and psychological factors and the use of standardized national exam scores. However, limitations include reliance on self-reported data, a time gap between academic and health measurements, a cross-sectional design, and a predominantly female sample, which limit causal interpretation and generalizability.

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