Previous research showed a positive relationship between physical activity and self-regulation in older children and adolescents, but few publications focused on young children. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to examine the impact of physical activity (PA) on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation (inhibition, attention, and working memory, in preschool-aged (3–6 years old) children. The following databases were searched for articles: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and ERIC. References of the reviewed papers were screened for the identification of additional articles to be included in the review. Randomized control trials were reviewed to assess the impact of PA interventions on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation. There were six articles included in this review. Each study assessed at least one cognitive aspect of self-regulation [attention (n = 4), working memory (n = 2), and inhibition (n = 5)]. Attention was the only aspect that consistently showed improvement as a result of the PA interventions (4 of 4 studies). Only one study showed a positive impact on working memory and 60% of studies (3 of 5 studies) reported a positive relationship between PA and inhibition. Overall, the findings from this review showed that a consistent relationship only existed between attention and PA. No clear relationships were evident between working memory and inhibition and PA.

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Purpose: To investigate the association between muscular strength and metabolic syndrome (MetS), with a specific focus on the role of weight status, using a nationally representative sample of US youth. Methods: The analysis included 409 boys and 415 girls from the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 12 and 18 years of age. The prevalence of MetS was defined using age- and sex-specific criteria for abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Strength was assessed via handgrip dynamometer and expressed as age- and sex-specific z scores of relative strength. Low strength was defined as a relative strength below the 25th percentile. Analyses controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, physical activity, and weight status. Results: The sample prevalence of MetS was approximately 5.3%. However, MetS prevalence was 18.5% in overweight/obese youth with low strength. The adjusted odds of MetS were 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.5–6.3, P < .001) times higher for overweight/obese youth with low strength versus sufficient strength. Conclusion: Muscular strength is predictive of adolescent MetS, specifically in those with unhealthy weight status. Approximately one in 5 overweight/obese youth with low strength had MetS. These findings highlight the relevance of muscular strength in youth cardiometabolic morbidities.

Youth with developmental disabilities (DD) face challenges that may impact their participation in physical activity. One of the biggest challenges is the availability of opportunities to engage in activities that are adapted for youth with DD. In addition, due to challenges with current physical activity assessment methods for youth with DD, the activity levels during modified activities remain unclear. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the activity levels of youth with DD during structured and unstructured activities offered during a therapeutic camp. This camp was a five-day, overnight experience in an outdoor camp center in the southeastern region of the U.S. Youth (n = 29; 14.6 ± 3.9 years) with more than one DD and with varying abilities wore accelerometers while they engaged in 13 activities of varying categories (functional/gross motor, game, sociodramatic, fine motor, free play) and contexts (ropes, horses, outdoor adventure, music and movement, yoga, come on down, sports and games, theatre, cabin challenge, arts, cooking, mad science, free play). Activity level varied by activity category and context and the intensity level of the majority of the camp activities was classified as either sedentary or light. There was a time course effect on activity; most activities resulted in a gradual decline over the session, except for cooking, sports and games, and free play. This therapeutic camp provided an opportunity for youth to engage in physical activity that would be classified as light intensity. The activities available at this camp were designed to address specific goals and objectives and provided enrichment opportunities (e.g., life skills, social skills) for youth to obtain multiple skills while using movement as a framework to deliver the content.