Effects of Resistance Training on Academic Outcomes in School-Aged Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) could improve cognitive performance in youths, but whether these effects occur from early childhood remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize evidence on the effects of PA interventions on cognitive performance in early childhood.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO (from inception to 6 September 2023) for randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of PA interventions (≥ 3 weeks) on cognitive-related outcomes in early childhood (3-6 years). We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis when five or more studies assessed a given outcome. The potential moderating role of participant (e.g., age) and intervention characteristics (e.g., duration, volume, intensity, cognitive engagement) was also assessed.

RESULTS

We found a total of 24 studies (N = 3483 children) that were deemed to be of overall fair methodological quality. PA interventions were supervised and lasted between 3 and 24 weeks. The most common session duration was 30 min, with a frequency of two sessions per week. Pooled analyses revealed that PA interventions have positive effects on all analysed outcomes, including attention (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.79, p = 0.002), inhibition (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI 0.06-0.84, p = 0.022), working memory (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI 0.18-0.82, p = 0.002), cognitive flexibility (SMD = 0.39, 0.15-0.62, p = 0.002) and vocabulary (SMD = 1.18, 0.19-2.16, p = 0.019). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the benefits in all cases except for inhibition (p = 0.062). No consistent differences were found relating to any moderator variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Although further research is warranted, our findings suggest that PA interventions may improve cognitive performance in early childhood, particularly in the domains of attention, inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility and vocabulary. These findings might support the implementation of PA interventions from early childhood.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42021249319.

Physical Fitness Surveillance and Monitoring Systems Inventory for Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review with a Global Perspective

Surveillance of health-related physical fitness can improve decision-making and intervention strategies promoting health for children and adolescents. However, no study has comprehensively analyzed surveillance/monitoring systems for physical fitness globally. This review sought to address this gap by identifying: (1) national-level surveillance/monitoring systems for physical fitness among children and adolescents globally, (2) the main barriers and challenges to implementing surveillance/monitoring systems, and (3) governmental actions related to existing surveillance/monitoring systems. We used a scoping review to search, obtain, group, summarize, and analyze available evidence. Our review involved three stages: (1) identification of surveillance systems through a systematic literature review, with complementary search of the grey literature (e.g., reference lists, Google Scholar, webpages, recommendations), (2) systematic consultation with relevant experts using a Delphi method to confirm/add systems and to gather and analyze information on the barriers and challenges to implementing systems, and (3) Web searches for public documents on government sites and surveillance/monitoring system pages, and direct internet searches to identify relevant governmental actions related to surveillance systems. A total of 15 fitness surveillance/monitoring systems met our inclusion criteria. Experts identified a lack of government support and funding, and the low priority of fitness on the public health agenda as the main barriers/challenges to implementation. Several governmental actions related to surveillance systems were identified, including policies, strategies, programs, and guidelines. We propose a Global Observatory of Physical Fitness to help address these issues.

PEAK Mood, Mind, and Marks: a pilot study of an intervention to support university students' mental and cognitive health through physical exercise

Introduction

Regular exercise has the potential to enhance university students' mental and cognitive health. The PEAK Mood, Mind and Marks program (i.e., PEAK) is a neuroscience-informed intervention developed using the Behaviour Change Wheel to support students to exercise three or more times per week to benefit their mental and cognitive health. This pilot study assessed the impact of PEAK on exercise, mental and cognitive health, and implementation outcomes.

Methods

PEAK was delivered to 115 undergraduate university students throughout a 12-week university semester. The primary outcome was weekly exercise frequency. Secondary outcomes were: time spent engaged in moderate-vigorous exercise, sedentary behaviour and perceived mental health and cognitive health. All were measured via online self-report questionnaires. Qualitative interviews with 15 students investigated influences on engagement, the acceptability and appropriateness of PEAK, and its mechanisms of behaviour change. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests and template analysis were used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.

Results

On average, 48.4% of students engaged in the recommended frequency of three or more exercise sessions per week. This proportion decreased towards the end of PEAK. Sedentary behaviour significantly decreased from baseline to end-point, and moderate-vigorous exercise significantly increased among students' who were non-exercisers. Mental wellbeing, stress, loneliness, and sense of belonging to the university significantly improved. There were no significant changes in psychological distress. Concentration, memory, and productivity significantly improved. Sixty-eight percent of students remained engaged in one or more components of PEAK at end-point. Qualitative data indicated students found PEAK to be acceptable and appropriate, and that it improved aspects of their capability, opportunity, and motivation to exercise.

Conclusions

Students are receptive to an exercise-based program to support their mental and cognitive health. Students exercise frequency decreased; however, these figures are likely a conservative estimate of students exercise engagement. Students valued the neuroscience-informed approach to motivational and educational content and that the program's goals aligned with their academic goals. Students identified numerous areas PEAK's content and implementation can be optimised, including use of a single digital delivery platform, more opportunities to connect with peers and to expand the content's cultural inclusivity.

A comprehensive study of the academic benefits and practical recommendations to include resistance training programs in institutional education

The connection between physical activity and cognitive function has become a focus of attention in educational research in recent years. Regular exercise has been shown to have significant positive effects on physical health, but it also appears to have a significant impact on cognitive function and academic performance. Of all the exercise modalities, resistance training has drawn interest for its ability to improve cerebral abilities in addition to physical well-being. However, there is limited available knowledge exploring the relationship between resistance training regimens and academic performance. This narrative review aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms linking resistance training to academic performance. Firstly, we will examine the biological mechanisms and psychosocial links that potentially connect resistance training to academic performance to find and describe the different mechanisms by which resistance training improves academic performance. In the next part of the work, we delve into the existing observational and intervention studies that have explored the relationship between resistance training and academic performance. Lastly, we provide practical recommendations for including resistance training in institutional education settings, emphasizing the need of dispelling myths and addressing barriers to increase participation as well as the relevance of considering key training variables and adaptation of protocols to developmental stages, always guided by a properly trained professional. Overall, the available evidence supports that resistance training provides potential benefits to the academic performance of youth students with many biological and psychosocial factors that explain this relationship. However, most of the studies are observational, and broader interventional studies are needed to understand and maximize the benefits of this type of physical exercise.

Associations between muscular strength and mental health in cognitively normal older adults: a cross-sectional study from the AGUEDA trial

Objective

To examine the associations between muscular strength and mental health.

Design

We used baseline data of 91 cognitively healthy older adults (71.69 ± 3.91 years old, 57 % women) participating in the AGUEDA randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Muscular strength was assessed using both objective (i.e., handgrip strength, biceps curl, squats, and isokinetic test) and perceived (i.e., International Fitness Scale) indicators. Psychological ill-being indicators: anxiety, depression, stress, and loneliness; and psychological well-being indicators: satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and emotional well-being) were assessed using a set of valid and reliable self-reported questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were performed adjusting for sex, age, years of education, body mass index , alcohol, diet, and smoking (model 1), and additionally by cardiorespiratory fitness (model 2).

Results

Elbow extension was positively associated with stress in model 1 (β = 0.252, 95 % Confidence Interval [95 % CI] = 0.007 to 0.497, p = 0.044), and even after further adjustment for cardiorespiratory fitness (β = 0.282, 95 % CI = 0.032 to 0.532, p = 0.028). Perceived strength was negatively associated with depressive symptoms in model 1 (β = -0.271, 95 % CI = -0.491 to -0.049, p = 0.017) and model 2 reported associations tending towards significant (β = -0.220, 95 % CI = -0.445 to 0.005, p = 0.055). Handgrip strength was positively associated with self-esteem in model 1 (β = 0.558, 95 % CI = 0.168 to 0.949, p = 0.006) and model 2 (β = 0.546, 95 % CI = 0.135 to 0.956, p = 0.010). No further associations were found among other muscular strength and mental health variables.

Conclusion

Handgrip had a moderate association with self-esteem and there was a small association between perceived strength with depressive symptoms and elbow extension with stress. No other associations were observed between muscular strength and mental health outcomes in cognitively normal older adults.

The influence of body mass index on physical activity engagement following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A systematic literature review

Background

The objective of this study was to summarize available literature that explored the impact of body mass index (BMI) on physical activity participation among individuals who were subjected to the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods

A total of three electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, were comprehensively searched to identify relevant investigations. The following inclusion criteria were applied: (1) study design was observational; (2) participants underwent the ACLR; (3) BMI was estimated as a predictor variable; and (4) outcomes evaluated referred to physical activity. The risk of bias was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies.

Results

After a database search, 787 studies were found, and only 10 of them met each of the eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative analysis. Regarding respondents' characteristics, 7171 individuals underwent ACLR, 4080 males and 3091 females, with a mean age of 25.5 years. Most importantly, the average BMI of the examined population was 24.9 kg/m2. In all studies, physical activity was evaluated subjectively using the Tegner activity scale and the Marx activity scale. The main findings unambiguously demonstrated that a negative relationship between BMI and physical activity engagement was observed. More specifically, there is convincing evidence that BMI over 25 kg/m2 harmfully affected subjectively assessed physical activity in individuals with a history of ACLR.

Conclusion

The results obtained in the presented research indicated that increased values of BMI were a factor that correlated with reduced physical activity levels in the ACLR population. Hence, taking into account the clinical and health implications of reduced physical activity participation, stimulation of a healthy lifestyle, such as a combination of adequately designed physical exercise and nutrition, seems necessary for the analyzed population.