Childhood Obesity and Academic Performance: The Role of Working Memory

Abstract

The present study examined the role of working memory in the association between childhood obesity and academic performance, and further determined whether memory deficits in obese children are domain-specific to certain tasks or domain-general. A total of 227 primary school students aged 10–13 years were analyzed for weight and height, of which 159 children (44 “obese,” 23 “overweight,” and 92 “normal weight”) filled out questionnaires on school performance and socioeconomic status. And then, all subjects finished three kinds of working memory tasks based on the digit memory task in 30 trials, which were image-generated with a series of numbers recall trial sets. After each trial set, subjects were given 5 s to recall and write down the numbers which hand appeared in the trial, in the inverse order in which they had appeared. The results showed there were significant academic performance differences among the three groups, with normal-weight children scoring higher than overweight and obese children after Bonferroni correction. A mediation model revealed a partial indirect effect of working memory in the relationship between obesity and academic performance. Although the performance of obese children in basic working memory tests was poorer than that of normal-weight children, they recalled more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks involving with food/drink. Working memory deficits partially explain the poor academic performance of obese children. Those results indicated the obese children show domain-specific working memory deficits, whereas they recall more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks associated with food/drink.

Overweight and Obesity Impair Academic Performance in Adolescence: A National Cohort Study of 10,279 Adolescents in China

“…Our findings are also consistent with a cross-sectional study of Chinese adolescents aged 11 to 13 years that found math, Chinese, and English test scores to be higher in children with normal weight compared with children with ov/ob (22). Negative impacts of obesity on adolescents' academic performance may be explained by various mechanisms, such as poor physical and mental health with subsequent absenteeism from school, impaired cognition, and impaired working memory (22)(23)(24). Negative impacts of obesity on standardized subject test scores appeared to be more pronounced in girls.…”

Accuracy of self-reported BMI using objective measurement in high school students

“…Obese children can be stigmatised by peers, family and other adults in their life, and often have a lower quality of life than peers of a healthy weight (4) . Obesity can result in the early onset of puberty in girls (5) , and overweight and obesity are associated with poor levels of academic achievement (6) . Thus, Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; CCC: concordance correlation coefficient; LOA: limits of agreement; TEM: technical error of measurement; rTEM: relative technical error of measurement JNS JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE successful interventions in childhood and adolescence are needed to reduce the risks associated with overweight and obesity.…”

Relationship between Body Mass Index, Cardiorespiratory and Musculoskeletal Fitness among South African Adolescent Girls

“…Further, obesity is known to impair physical fitness and academic performance [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Several factors have been postulated to explain how obesity promotes decreased physical fitness.…”

“…Secondly, it has been suggested that obesity-related fitness impairments are caused by neuromuscular dysfunction resulting from metabolic imbalance [ 21 ]. The association between obesity and academic performance is purported to be influenced by factors such as poor peer-relationships, low-self-esteem, and reduced cognitive abilities [ 13 ]. Though obesity is known to negatively impact physical performance, the nature of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and aspects of physical fitness is less clear, particularly among female adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds.…”

“…Higher BMI has a negative influence on musculoskeletal fitness [ 27 ]. Improved cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness (MSF) are each associated with better health outcomes [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. MSF encompasses those components of physical fitness responsible for successful execution of motor tasks such as walking and running [ 28 ], and includes measures such as muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and joint mobility [ 29 ].…”