Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Donnelly JE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4874515 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review.
Donnelly Joseph E JE Hillman Charles H CH Castelli Darla D Etnier Jennifer L JL Lee Sarah S Tomporowski Phillip P Lambourne Kate K Szabo-Reed Amanda N AN
Medicine and science in sports and exercise 20160601 6
<h4>Background</h4>The relationship among physical activity (PA), fitness, cognitive function, and academic achievement in children is receiving considerable attention. The utility of PA to improve cognition and academic achievement is promising but uncertain; thus, this position stand will provide clarity from the available science.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: 1) among children age 5-13 yr, do PA and physical fitness influence cognition, lea ...[more]
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Project description:BACKGROUND:This umbrella review aimed to summarise the evidence presented in systematic reviews and meta-analyses regarding the effect of physical activity on academic achievement of school-age children and adolescents. METHODS:A comprehensive electronic search for relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses were performed in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and Latin American and Caribbean of Health Sciences Information System, and reference lists of the included studies, from inception to May 2020. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews or meta-analyses, included school-age children or adolescents, the intervention included physical activity, and the outcome was the academic achievement. Two independent authors screened the text of potentially eligible studies and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the AMSTAR 2 tool. RESULTS:Forty-one systematic reviews and meta-analyses that examined the effects of physical activity on children and adolescents' academic achievement were identified. Overall, the systematic reviews reported small positive or mixed associations between physical activity and academic achievement. From meta-analyses, it was observed that physical activity had null or small-to-medium positive effects on academic achievement. Chronic physical activity showed a medium positive effect on academic achievement, and acute physical activity did not demonstrate benefits. CONCLUSIONS:Physical activity seems not to be detrimental to school-age children and adolescents' academic achievement, and may, in fact, be beneficial.
| S-EPMC7460146 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo investigate the hypotheses that in elementary school students: (1) adiposity and academic achievement are negatively correlated and (2) physical activity and academic achievement are positively correlated.MethodsParticipants were 1963 children in fourth to sixth grades. Adiposity was assessed by calculating body mass index (BMI) percentile and percent body fat and academic achievement with statewide standardized tests in 4 content areas. Socioeconomic status and age were control variables. A subset of participants (n = 261) wore an accelerometer for 3 days to provide objective measurement of physical activity. In addition, the association between weight status and academic achievement was examined by comparing children who could be classified as "extremely obese" and the rest of the sample, as well as comparing children who could be classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Extreme obesity was defined as ≥1.2 times the 95th percentile.ResultsThe results indicated that there were no significant associations between adiposity or physical activity and achievement in students. No academic achievement differences were found between children with BMI percentiles within the extreme obesity range and those who did not fall within the extreme obesity classification. In addition, no academic achievement differences were found for children with BMI percentiles within the normal weight, overweight, or obese ranges.ConclusionsThese results do not support the hypotheses that increased adiposity is associated with decreased academic achievement or that greater physical activity is related to improved achievement. However, these results are limited by methodological weaknesses, especially the use of cross-sectional data.
| S-EPMC3897206 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Researching the relationship between physical activity and academic performance is becoming an important research topic due to increasing evidence about the positive effect of physical activity on cognitive functioning. The present systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration number: CDR132118) is a unique contribution to the recently published reviews since it only includes interventions longer than 6 weeks and acknowledges the influence of the qualifications of practitioners who deliver interventions. After identifying 14,245 records in five databases and selecting 247 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 44 interventions passed all eligibility criteria. This meta-analysis uses validity generalization in a random effects model, which shows that academic performance itself is not solely caused by increased physical activity. The weighted mean population effect of all included interventions was rw = 0.181. Most of the studies had serious limitations since they did not report physical activity intensity, which is an essential component to achieving positive exercise effects on cognition. In addition, the qualifications of the staff who administer the interventions were largely ignored in existing literature. It was found that 13 out of 20 physical activity interventions with significant positive effects on academic performance were performed by practitioners who held higher qualifications in the field of physical education and exercise science, who could mediate higher physical activity intensities of the given interventions. The population effect in studies where interventions were administered by practitioners with lower qualifications in the field (rw = 0.14) was lower compared to interventions performed by staff with higher qualifications (rw = 0.22). There was also a significant difference in academic performance with regard to staff qualification level (? = 4.464; p = 0.035). In addition to activity duration, future physical activity intervention studies including those investigating academic performance should focus on the importance of physical activity intensity and include measures of physical fitness as objective indicators to enable more reliable analyses to establish physical activity influence on academic performance.
| S-EPMC7372103 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The global epidemic of obesity and physical inactivity may have detrimental implications for young people's cognitive function and academic achievement. This prospective study investigated whether childhood motor function predicts later academic achievement via physical activity, fitness, and obesity. The study sample included 8,061 children from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, which contains data about parent-reported motor function at age 8 y and self-reported physical activity, predicted cardiorespiratory fitness (cycle ergometer test), obesity (body weight and height), and academic achievement (grades) at age 16 y. Structural equation models with unstandardized (B) and standardized (?) coefficients were used to test whether, and to what extent, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and obesity at age 16 mediated the association between childhood motor function and adolescents' academic achievement. Physical activity was associated with a higher grade-point average, and obesity was associated with a lower grade-point average in adolescence. Furthermore, compromised motor function in childhood had a negative indirect effect on adolescents' academic achievement via physical inactivity (B = -0.023, 95% confidence interval = -0.031, -0.015) and obesity (B = -0.025, 95% confidence interval = -0.039, -0.011), but not via cardiorespiratory fitness. These results suggest that physical activity and obesity may mediate the association between childhood motor function and adolescents' academic achievement. Compromised motor function in childhood may represent an important factor driving the effects of obesity and physical inactivity on academic underachievement.
| S-EPMC3562837 | biostudies-other
Project description:UnlabelledA growing research base suggests that the benefits of physical activity (PA) and aerobic fitness for children extend beyond overall health/well-being to include academic achievement (AA). The majority of research studies on relations of PA and fitness with AA have used linear-only analytic approaches, thereby precluding the possibility that PA and fitness could have a differing effect on AA for those more/less active or fit.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate both linear and nonlinear associations of PA and aerobic fitness with children's AA among a sample of 687 second and third grade students from 17 Midwest schools.Study designUsing baseline data (fall 2011) from a larger 3-yr intervention trial, multilevel regression analyses examined the linear and nonlinear associations of AA with PA and with progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER) laps (i.e., aerobic fitness), controlling for relevant covariates.ResultsFitness, but not PA, had a significant quadratic association with both spelling and mathematics achievement. Results indicate that 22-28 laps on the PACER was the point at which the associated increase in achievement per lap plateaued for spelling and mathematics.ConclusionsIncreasing fitness could potentially have the greatest effect on children's AA for those below the 50th fitness percentile on the PACER.
| S-EPMC4211996 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInternational and national committees have started to evaluate the evidence for the effects of physical activity on neurocognitive health in childhood and adolescence to inform policy. Despite an increasing body of evidence, such reports have shown mixed conclusions. We aimed to critically evaluate and synthesise the evidence for the effects of chronic physical activity on academic achievement, cognitive performance and the brain in children and adolescents in order to guide future research and inform policy.MethodsMedLine, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ERIC electronic databases were searched from inception to February 6th, 2019. Articles were considered eligible for inclusion if they were systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis, published in peer-reviewed (English) journals. Reviews had to be on school-aged children and/or adolescents that reported on the effects of chronic physical activity or exercise interventions, with cognitive markers, academic achievement or brain markers as outcomes. Reviews were selected independently by two authors and data were extracted using a pre-designed data extraction template. The quality of reviews was assessed using AMSTAR-2 criteria.ResultsOf 908 retrieved, non-duplicated articles, 19 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. One high-quality review reported inconsistent evidence for physical activity-related effects on cognitive- and academic performance in obese or overweight children and adolescents. Eighteen (critically) low-quality reviews presented mixed favourable and null effects, with meta-analyses showing small effect sizes (0.1-0.3) and high heterogeneity. Low-quality reviews suggested physical activity-related brain changes, but lacked an interpretation of these findings. Systematic reviews varied widely in their evidence synthesis, rarely took intervention characteristics (e.g. dose), intervention fidelity or study quality into account and suspected publication bias. Reviews consistently reported that there is a lack of high-quality studies, of studies that include brain imaging outcomes, and of studies that include adolescents or are conducted in South American and African countries.ConclusionsInconsistent evidence exists for chronic physical activity-related effects on cognitive-, academic-, and brain outcomes. The field needs to refocus its efforts towards improving study quality, transparency of reporting and dissemination, and is urged to differentiate between intervention characteristics for its findings to have a meaningful impact on policy.
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Project description:Aerobic fitness has been shown to have several beneficial effects on child health. However, research on its relationship with academic performance has been limited, particularly in developing countries and among undernourished populations. This study examined the association between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in clinically healthy but nutritionally compromised Indian school-aged children and assessed whether micronutrient status affects this association. 273 participants, aged 7 to 10.5 years, were enrolled from three primary schools in Bangalore, India. Data on participants' aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle test), demographics, anthropometry, diet, physical activity, and micronutrient status were abstracted. School-wide exam scores in mathematics and Kannada language served as indicators of academic performance and were standardized by grade level. The strength of the fitness/achievement association was analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation, multiple variable logistic regression, and multi-level models. Significant positive correlations between aerobic capacity (VO2 peak) and academic scores in math and Kannada were observed (P < 0.05). After standardizing scores across grade levels and adjusting for school, gender, socioeconomic status, and weight status (BMI Z-score), children with greater aerobic capacities (mL * kg(-1) * min(-1)) had greater odds of scoring above average on math and Kannada exams (OR=1.08, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.15 and OR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.18, respectively). This association remained significant after adjusting for micronutrient deficiencies. These findings provide preliminary evidence of a fitness/achievement association in Indian children. While the mechanisms by which aerobic fitness may be linked to academic achievement require further investigation, the results suggest that educators and policymakers should consider the adequacy of opportunities for physical activity and fitness in schools for both their physical and potential academic benefits.
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Project description:[Purpose] This study analyzed the relationship between fitness and executive functions in adolescents and its influence on academic achievement. [Participants and Methods] The design was cross-sectional. The sample included 713 adolescents (14.2 ± 1.5 years old). Physical fitness was evaluated using flexibility test, strength test, balance test and aerobic test. Executive function was evaluated with the tests (Stroop, Symbol digit, Trail making, Wechsler memory, and MESSY scale). Academic performance was evaluated through the school records. A partial correlational analysis of physical fitness and executive functions with respect to academic achievement was carried out. A multivariate linear regression was performed to identify the physical component model that best defined each of the executive functions. [Results] The analysis showed how academic achievement is significantly influenced, from a physical point of view, by resistance strength (r=0.21), aerobic endurance (r=0.188), and flexibility (r=0.17), whereas from a cognitive point of view it is significantly influenced by inhibition/interference (r=0.25), working memory (r=0.10) and processing speed (r=0.18). [Conclusion] The results indicate that the physical fitness and executive function are closely related and both have a significant influence on academic achievement.
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Project description:Schools offer a unique environment to influence children's physical activity (PA) levels positively. This study aims to systematically review the evidence surrounding how PA affects academic performance by analysing how the frequency, intensity, time, and type of PA mediate academic performance outcomes. This review was conducted using the PRISMA framework. Keyword searches were conducted in Science Direct, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus. Children that were obese, typically developing, typical weight, disabled, with a developmental disability, from a low socio-economic background, or an ethnic minority were included. A total of 19 studies were included, with a total of 6788 participants, a mean age of 9.3 years (50.2% boys, and 49.8% girls). Overall, 63.2% were nondisabled, while 36.8% were diagnosed with a disability. Two authors met, reviewed papers with regard to the inclusion criteria, and agreed on outputs to be included. Evidence suggests that associations between PA and academic performance were primarily positive or nonsignificant. PA levels of 90 min plus per week were associated with improved academic performance, as was PA performed at moderate to vigorous intensity. The optimal duration of PA was 30-60 min per session, whilst various sports induced positive academic effects. Importantly, findings support that PA does not have a deleterious effect on academic performance but can enhance it.
| S-EPMC10297707 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This systematic review aimed to investigate the methodological quality and the effects of fundamental motor skills and physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic skills in 3- to 7-year-old children with special educational needs. The review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) statement. A literature search was carried out in April 2020 (updated in January 2022) using seven electronic databases, including ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool. Cohen's d effect sizes and post-hoc power analyses were conducted for the included studies. Altogether 22 studies (1883 children) met the inclusion criteria, representing children at-risk for learning difficulties, due to family background (nstudies = 8), children with learning difficulties (nstudies = 7), learning disabilities (nstudies = 5), and physical disabilities (nstudies = 2). Two of the included 22 studies displayed strong, one moderate, and 19 studies weak methodological quality. The intervention effects appeared to be somewhat dependent on the severity of the learning difficulty; in cognitive and language skills, the effects were largest in children at-risk due to family background, whereas in executive functions the effects were largest in children with learning disabilities. However, due to the vast heterogeneity of the included studies, and a rather low methodological quality, it is challenging to summarize the findings in a generalizable manner. Thus, additional high-quality research is required to determine the effectiveness of the interventions.
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