A Systematic Review of the Effects of Physical Activity on Specific Academic Skills of School Students

Abstract

This systematic review examined the effects of distinct physical activity interventions on the academic achievement of school students based on an analysis of four distinct outcomes: mathematics, language, reading, and composite scores. This study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and the QUORUM statement. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed-MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Peer-reviewed studies published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish were considered. A random-effect meta-analysis was employed to determine the effect of interventions on academic performance. The effects between interventions and control groups were expressed as standardized mean differences. Thirty-one studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The exercise programs were not capable of significantly improving language, reading skills, and composite scores. Conversely, performance in math tests increased significantly after the interventions compared with the control groups. Regarding the overall effect, a significant improvement in academic achievement was detected after physical activity programs compared with controls. In conclusion, the positive effects of school-based physical education on academic performance are not uniform and may be higher for math skills. The implementation of evidence-based exercise programs in school settings emerges as a promising strategy to increase overall academic achievement in school-aged students.

Students’ Skills and Experiences Using Information and Communication Technologies in Remote Physical Education Lessons

“…A study conducted by Troiano's [59] team indicated that 42% of children aged 6-11 years in America met the recommended 60 min per day PA norm, whereas only 8% of adolescents reached this norm, and similar data were found in Australia [60]. Much research has estimated that students' decline in physical activity during the pandemic period was negatively associated with a lack of psychological wellbeing, depression, and sadness [49,61,62], which can indirectly lead to reduced academic performance [63,64].…”

A Systematic Review of School-Based Nutrition Interventions for Promoting Healthy Dietary Practices and Lifestyle Among School Children and Adolescents

“…The duration of the interventions ranged from one day [12] to five years [52], with 25 studies [8,[10][11][12]17,[19][20][21][26][27][28]32,[34][35][36]38,40,42,43,53,54,57,59,60,62] lasting less than one year. Post-intervention follow-ups, conveyed in 26 research articles [9,11,13,15,17,19,20,23,[26][27][28]31,35,36,37,40,42,43,[51][52][53][54][55]57,[...…”

“…Regarding intervention types, 13 studies involved extensive multi-component strategies [ 8 - 16 , 31 , 34 , 52 , 55 ], 15 were nutrition education interventions [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 23 - 27 , 51 , 57 , 59 - 62 ], six focused on physical activity interventions [ 28 , 32 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 54 ], and four on lifestyle and nutrition-related behavior [ 40 , 42 , 43 , 53 ]. Another 24 of the 62 included studies [ 1 - 7 , 18 , 22 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 33 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 44 - 50 , 58 ] were original articles, review articles, and government guidelines, protocols, policies, and reports regarding school children and adolescents’ nutritional status.…”

“…The duration of the interventions ranged from one day [ 12 ] to five years [ 52 ], with 25 studies [ 8 , 10 - 12 , 17 , 19 - 21 , 26 - 28 , 32 , 34 - 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 53 , 54 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 62 ] lasting less than one year. Post-intervention follow-ups, conveyed in 26 research articles [ 9 , 11 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 23 , 26 - 28 , 31 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 51 - 55 , 57 , 60 - 62 ], ranged between one week [ 28 ] and five years [ 52 ].…”

Associations between Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Physical Activity, Executive Function, and Academic Achievement: Longitudinal Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

“…In addition to fundamental motor skills, another aspect of motor function that has received extensive focus is physical activity (PA). Recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews have confirmed the general link between PA and cognitive abilities in children [37][38][39][40], but as in the motor skills/cognition research, consensus has not yet been established regarding which types of PA exert beneficial effects on which particular cognitive functions [41]. For example, Egger et al [42] conducted a classroom-based intervention study with 142 7-to 9-year-old children.…”