Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31752903›Full record

SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2019

Effects of school-based physical activity on mathematics performance in children: a systematic review.

S Sneck, H Viholainen, H Syväoja, A Kankaapää, H Hakonen, A-M Poikkeus, T Tammelin

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

34 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. 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
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
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

7 authors.

S SneckLIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Rautpohjankatu 8, 40700, Jyväskylä, Finland. sirpa.sneck@likes.fi.ORCID 0000-0003-4216-6167
H ViholainenDepartment of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
H SyväojaLIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Rautpohjankatu 8, 40700, Jyväskylä, Finland.
A KankaapääLIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Rautpohjankatu 8, 40700, Jyväskylä, Finland.
H HakonenLIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Rautpohjankatu 8, 40700, Jyväskylä, Finland.
A-M PoikkeusFaculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
T TammelinLIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Rautpohjankatu 8, 40700, Jyväskylä, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe benefits of physical activity (PA) on children's health and wellbeing are well established. However, the benefits of PA on academic performance and particularly on mathematics performance warrant systematic analysis. Mathematics is one of the core subjects in school education globally.

methodsWe systematically searched, analysed and synthesized the literature on the effects of school-based PA interventions on mathematics performance in children aged 4-16. A total of 29 studies consisting of randomised trials and other interventions with control groups were identified through a systematic search, and 11 of them provided sufficient data and appropriate design for a meta-analysis.

resultsOf the 29 studies involving 11,264 participants, positive overall effects of a PA intervention on mathematics performance were found in 13 studies (45%) and neutral overall effects in 15 studies (52%). Only one study reported a significant negative result for a subgroup of children in the first half of the intervention. In a risk-of-bias assessment, 12 studies had low, 17 moderate, and none had a high risk of bias. The meta-analysis of 11 studies suggested an overall small positive effect (ES = 0.23) of the interventions. Only one study in the meta-analysis indicated a negative effect in one of the intervention groups.

conclusionsAdding PA to the school day may enhance children's mathematics performance or has no negative effects on performance. Several types of PA interventions can be recommended to be added to the school day.

Indexed as

MathematicsSchool Health ServicesAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolEducational MeasurementExerciseHumansSchoolsInterventionMathematics performancePhysical activity

Identifiers

PMID31752903
PMCPMC6873534

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.