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Liu Y, Hong J, Yin X, Zhang F, Guo Y, Sun P. Relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and executive function of Chinese Tibetan adolescents aged 13-18. J Sci Med Sport 2023; 26:610-615. [PMID: 37739853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2023.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Explore the correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and execution function (EF) of Chinese Tibetan adolescents at high altitude (HA) areas. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey was used to study 1138 participants aged 13-18 (47.72% boys) at baseline. METHODS Lhasa (3650 m), Nagqu (4500 m), Qamdo (3500 m), and Nyingchi (3100 m) in China were chosen. CRF was measured by the 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT) and a subsequent estimation of their maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) was calculated using the Léger equations. The three core EFs (inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) were tested by a modified Eriksen flanker, N-back, and a more-odd shifting. The association between CRF and EF was explored by Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and stratified regression. RESULTS The reaction time (RT) of 1-back, cognitive flexibility with V̇O2max showed a declining trend, (F = 34.475, 27.498, P < 0.01). Interestingly, 2-back RT went up and then went down with V̇O2max. (F = 29.55, P < 0.01). After increasing V̇O2max as a variable, a stratified regression analysis with the RT for 1-back, 2-back, and cognitive flexibility showed that ΔR2 equaled 0.107 ms, 0.071 ms, and 0.091 ms, respectively (P < 0.01). With V̇O2max increased by 1 mL/kg/min, the RT of 1-back, 2-back, and cognitive flexibility shortened 14.697 ms, 15.689 ms, and 11.771 ms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS CRF was positively associated with working memory, and cognitive flexibility development among Chinese Tibetan adolescents living at HA areas, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China
| | - Jun Hong
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China
| | - Xiaojian Yin
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China; College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Institute of Technology, China.
| | - Feng Zhang
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China
| | - Yaru Guo
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China
| | - Pengwei Sun
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, China
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de Bruijn AGM, Meijer A, Königs M, Oosterlaan J, Smith J, Hartman E. The mediating role of neurocognitive functions in the relation between physical competencies and academic achievement of primary school children. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2023; 66:102390. [PMID: 37665853 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies into associations between physical, neurocognitive and academic skills have reported inconsistent results. This study aimed to get more insight into these relations by examining all three domains simultaneously, testing a complete mediational model including measures of physical competencies (cardiovascular fitness and motor skills), neurocognitive skills (attention, information processing, and core executive functions), and academic achievement (reading, mathematics, and spelling). Dutch primary school students (n = 891, 440 boys, mean age 9.17 years) were assessed on the Shuttle Run Test (cardiovascular fitness), items of the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test-II (fundamental motor skills), computerized neurocognitive tests, and standardized academic achievement tests. A multilevel structural equation model showed that physical competencies were only indirectly related to academic achievement, via specific neurocognitive functions depending on the academic domain involved. Results provide important implications, highlighting the importance of well-developed physical competencies in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne G M de Bruijn
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Anna Meijer
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marsh Königs
- Emma Neuroscience Group, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jaap Oosterlaan
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joanne Smith
- Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Esther Hartman
- Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Lemes VB, Fochesatto CF, Brand C, Gaya ACA, Cristi-Montero C, Gaya AR. Changes in children’s self-perceived physical fitness: results from a Physical Education internet-based intervention in COVID-19 school lockdown. SPORT SCIENCES FOR HEALTH 2022; 18:1273-1281. [PMID: 35126733 PMCID: PMC8801194 DOI: 10.1007/s11332-022-00897-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Background Children have a higher chance of decreasing health-related physical fitness during periods of school lockdown due to pandemic situations such as with COVID-19 disease. Aims To establish the changes in children’s self-perceived physical fitness (SPPF) during pandemic COVID-19 social distancing in a school lockdown and to describe the individual prevalence of changes in SPPF according to sex. Methods It is an intervention study with a convenient sample, 67 children (6–13 years old; 50.7% girls). An intervention occurred according to the Brazilian Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC) and the State Education Secretary orientations for remote Physical Education classes. SPPF was evaluated through a questionnaire (QAPA). Generalized estimative equations (GEE) and the prevalence of changes in individual score delta (Δ) from baseline to follow-up determined the effects. Results Positive individual changes in SPPF were observed for 21.2% of girls and 26.4% of boys. Older children presented fewer SPPF total points. There was no interaction between the evaluation period, sex, and age. However, higher baseline SPPF values presented a negative association with the individual SPPF variation (β = − 2.52%; CI 95% − 3.97 to − 1.07; p = 0.001). Conclusion A remote Physical Education intervention effectively maintained or even increased individual results of children’s SPPF. Thereby, this study suggests that this kind of initiative should be retained for the duration of social distancing and pandemic conditions to help children maintain an active lifestyle and, consequently, achieve health benefits. Improving intervention effectiveness by focusing on girls seems to be a challenge in this matter. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11332-022-00897-1.
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He S, Shuai L, Wang Z, Qiu M, Wilson A, Xia W, Cao X, Lu L, Zhang J. Online Learning Performances of Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic. INQUIRY : A JOURNAL OF MEDICAL CARE ORGANIZATION, PROVISION AND FINANCING 2021; 58:469580211049065. [PMID: 34647508 PMCID: PMC8524690 DOI: 10.1177/00469580211049065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
To investigate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) core symptoms that impair executive function (EF), emotional state, learning motivation, and the family and parenting environment of children and adolescents with ADHD, both with and without severe difficulties. This will be explored within an online learning environment during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 183 ADHD children diagnosed using DSM-V criteria were selected and divided into 2 groups high difficulties during online learning (HDOL) and low difficulties during online learning (LDOL) according to the answer of Home Quarantine Investigation of the Pandemic (HQIP). The participants filled out a set of questionnaires to assess their emotional state and learning motivation, and their parents also filled out the questionnaires about ADHD core symptoms, EF, and family and parenting environment. Compared with ADHD children in the LDOL group, the children in the HDOL group had significant symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional defiant, behavioral and emotional problems according to the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP). They also had more severely impaired EF according to the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), more difficulties and disturbances in the family by the Chinese version of Family Environment Scale (FES-CV), and lower parenting efficacy and satisfaction by Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC). With regard to the self-rating questionnaires of children and adolescents, the HDOL group reported lower learning motivation according to the Students Learning Motivation Scale (SLMS). By Screening for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders and Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC), those in HDOL presented more negative emotions. The HDOL group spent significantly more time on both video games and social software per day and significantly less time on multiple activities per week, when compared to those in the LDOL group. This study demonstrated that ADHD children and adolescents with HDOL had more inattention-related behaviors, more severe emotional problems and EF impairment, weaker learning motivation, and poorer family and parenting environment. Meanwhile, digital media use should be supervised and appropriate extracurricular activities should be encouraged by parents and schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan He
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Lan Shuai
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhouye Wang
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Meihui Qiu
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Amanda Wilson
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of
Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Weiping Xia
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuan Cao
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key
Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China
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Visier-Alfonso ME, Sánchez-López M, Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Jiménez-López E, Redondo-Tébar A, Nieto-López M. Executive functions mediate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic achievement in Spanish schoolchildren aged 8 to 11 years. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231246. [PMID: 32275676 PMCID: PMC7147757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES 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 (20-meter 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; IC = [0.003; 0.028]) and with mathematics (c' = 0.066; IC = [0.003; 0.029]); however, a significant relationship remained. For working memory, mediation analysis showed no significant results (c' = 0.92; IC = [-0.002;0.025] P > 0.05 in language; c' = 0.103; IC = [-0.002;0.029] P > 0.05 in mathematics). Mediation ranged from 13.38% to 36%. CONCLUSIONS Children in higher categories of both CRF and executive function showed higher grades in mathematics and language. The findings indicated that a significant proportion of the positive influence of CRF on academic achievement was mediated by improvements in inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Thus, this study supports the hypothesis that improvements in CRF may contribute to increasing academic achievement not only through a direct mechanism but also through improvements in executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mairena Sánchez-López
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
- School of Education, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca, Chile
| | - Estela Jiménez-López
- Faculty of Nursing, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
| | - Andrés Redondo-Tébar
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain
| | - Marta Nieto-López
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
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Cortés Pascual A, Moyano Muñoz N, Quílez Robres A. The Relationship Between Executive Functions and Academic Performance in Primary Education: Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1582. [PMID: 31354585 PMCID: PMC6638196 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to research the relationship between executive functions and academic performance in primary education (6–12 years). Based on 21 samples (n = 7,947), a meta-analysis of random effects demonstrated a moderately significant weighted effect size (r = 0.365) and was found to be a good predictor of academic performance. For the subjects of language and mathematics, the results of the random effects model were similar and slightly higher for mathematics (r = 0.350; r = 0.365). Thus, the theory that executive functions have greater influence on mathematical performance is supported, especially in aspects such as coding, organization, and the immediate retrieval of information. Regarding the different executive function components (working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and planning), working memory had the highest presence (k = 14, n = 3,740) and predictive weight for performance, with an effect size of r = 0.370 for random effects, with a moderate level of significance. The moderating effect of variables such as gender and age were also analyzed. After performing a meta-regression, gender resulted in a value of R2 = 0.49; the age variable was not significant. This result is especially important since age has traditionally been considered to be the moderating variable of executive functions. The review reveals a good predictive power of executive functions in the primary education stage, and it is even higher at the early ages, indicating its great significance in describing future performance. The study also revealed the competencies and specific aspects of the executive functions that affect the way in which its components intervene in the academic area, demonstrating the mediating effect of variables such as physical fitness, motor skills, and memory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nieves Moyano Muñoz
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Education, University of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain
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