Executive functions mediate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic achievement in Spanish schoolchildren aged 8 to 11 years

Abstract

Previous research has studied the influence of physical fitness on academic achievement through executive functions. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and executive functions are associated with academic achievement and to examine whether the relationship between CRF and academic achievement is mediated by executive functions in schoolchildren. Methods This was a cross-sectional study including 570 schoolchildren, aged 8 to 11 years, from Cuenca, Spain. Data were collected from September to October 2017. Sociodemographic variables, family socioeconomic status, pubertal status, academic achievement, CRF (20meter shuttle run test) and executive functions (inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory, NIH Toolbox battery in Spanish, v 1.8; iPad Pro, Apple, Inc.) were measured. Results Overall, ANCOVA models controlling for age, gender and mother educational level showed higher scores in language and mathematics in children in higher categories of CRF, inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory than in children in lower categories. The effect sizes were moderate (p < 0.05, partial eta squared: from 0.05 to 0.12). Moreover, the mediation analysis showed that inhibition partially mediated the relationship between CRF and language (c' = 0.058; IC = [0.005; 0.028]) and mathematics (c' = 0.064; IC = [0.005; 0.030]) grades. Similarly, cognitive flexibility mediated CRF's relationship with language (c' = 0.059;

Physical Fitness Plays a Crucial Mediator Role in Relationships Among Personal, Social, and Lifestyle Factors With Adolescents' Cognitive Performance in a Structural Equation Model. The Cogni-Action Project

“…Overall, physical fitness evidences a favourable association with cognitive functions such as cognitive flexibility ( 47 ), cognitive processing ( 48 ), working memory ( 49 ), inhibitory control ( 50 ), and attention capacity ( 15 , 51 , 52 ). Moreover, it is possible to find some studies showing that CRF and not the physical activity is related to better cognitive performance, learning, and academic achievement ( 42 , 43 , 48 , 53 ). We presented a new contribution in this area, suggesting an indirect relation between physical activity and cognitive performance mediated by all fitness components.…”

“…FIGURE 1 | Proposed structural mediation model adapted from previous studies(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45).…”

Physical fitness and its association with cognitive performance in Chilean schoolchildren: The Cogni‐Action Project

“…Differences between boys and girls in continuous and factor variables were tested using the Student's t test for equal variances and the Chi‐square test, respectively. Physical fitness was grouped into low (corresponding to quartile 1), middle (corresponding to quartile 2‐ quartile 3), and high (corresponding to quartile 4), as previously used in this field 28 . To reduce the chances of Type I error from multiple comparisons and to test the "global main effect," three multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were conducted investigating group differences (low‐, middle‐, and high‐fitness level), using the percentile score of the eight cognitive tests as a continuous outcome, and each fitness variable (CRF, MF, and S‐AF) as an explanatory factor, including sex, school administration, PHV, and BMI as covariates.…”

Associations Between Executive Functions and Physical Fitness in Preschool Children

“…Further, previous research pointed on significant relation between physical activity and physical fitness ( Latorre-Román et al, 2016 ). Therefore, the degree of physical fitness in preschoolers might be candidate significantly related to the degree of cognitive or executive functions ( Visier-Alfonso et al, 2020 ). Even though, recent studies support this assumption ( Maurer and Roebers, 2019 ; Visier-Alfonso et al, 2020 ) the role of physical fitness and its certain components (a) muscular and (b) motor component in development of executive functions skills is still open issue.…”