Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24157077›Full record

SynthesisPreventing chronic disease2013

Effect of aerobic exercise on cognition, academic achievement, and psychosocial function in children: a systematic review of randomized control trials.

Caitlin Lees, Jessica Hopkins

Open access · diamondAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Preventing chronic disease, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
80citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
24.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

80 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 227 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Impact of structural-level environmental interventions on physical activity: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. High-Intensity Interval Training upon Cognitive and Psychological Outcomes in Youth: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
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  6. Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
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  14. Trial
  15. Physical activity and academic achievement: an analysis of potential student- and school-level moderators.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022
    Trial
  16. Intervention Strategies to Elicit MVPA in Preschoolers during Outdoor Play.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Trial
  17. Trial
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  20. [Acute effect of vigorous aerobic exercise on the inhibitory control in adolescents].Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2016
    Trial

20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Caitlin LeesDalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Jessica Hopkins
Dalhousie University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAlthough the effects of aerobic physical activity (APA) on children's physical health is well characterized, the effect of aerobic physical activity on cognition, academic achievement, and psychosocial function has not yet been established. This systematic review provides an overview of research elucidating the relationship between aerobic physical activity and children's cognition, academic achievement, and psychosocial function.

methodsA systematic review of English articles was performed in April 2013 using MEDLINE, Cochrane, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, and EMBASE. Additional studies were identified through back-searching bibliographies. Only randomized control trials with an intervention of aerobic physical activity in children younger than 19 years that measured psychological, behavioral, cognitive, or academic outcomes were included.

resultsWe found 8 relevant randomized control trials that met our inclusion criteria and extracted relevant data and evaluated the methodologic quality of the studies. Of the 8 studies identified, 2 studies were crossover randomized control trials studying the effects of acute aerobic physical activity on cognitive performance. Six studies were parallel-group randomized control studies, of which only 2 had a follow-up period of longer than 6 months. All studies showed that APA had a generally positive impact on children's cognition and psychosocial function. However, this relationship was found to be minimal in many studies and in some measures, no significant improvement was seen at all. There was no documentation of APA having any negative impact on children's cognition and psychosocial health, even in cases where school curriculum time was reassigned from classroom teaching to aerobic physical activity.

conclusionAPA is positively associated with cognition, academic achievement, behavior, and psychosocial functioning outcomes. More rigorous trials with adequate sample sizes assessing the impact of APA on children's cognitive abilities, psychosocial functioning, behavior, and academic achievement are needed, with standardized interventions, valid and reliable tools of measurement, and long-term follow-up for sustained cognitive and psychosocial outcomes.

Indexed as

CognitionEducational StatusExerciseChildChild DevelopmentHumans

Identifiers

PMID24157077
PMCPMC3809922
OpenAlexW2029356607

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.