ReviewJournal of sport and health science2025
Effects of physical activity interventions on fundamental movement skills and cognitive function in early childhood: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Review in Journal of sport and health science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Effects of Astaxanthin Supplementation on Exercise Recovery Biomarkers and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Immersive reality training for gross motor outcomes in children with Down syndrome.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Exercise Interventions and Attentional Performance in Children and Adolescents: Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealth benefits have been reported for many physical activity (PA) interventions for improving fundamental movement skills (FMS) and cognitive function (CF), but the most effective type of PA interventions for enhancing FMS and CF in early childhood remain unknown. Thus, the study aimed to determine the effects of PA interventions in enhancing FMS and CF among young children and to establish the optimal types of PA interventions.
methodsSix electronic databases (PubMed, OVID, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane) were searched for studies from inception to March 17, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this study if they reported outcomes related to FMS, CF, or both associated with PA interventions. Effect sizes were calculated and performed as Hedges' g. The hierarchy of competing interventions was established using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Risk of bias was independently assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2.
resultsThis analysis included 38 studies with 5237 young children, with sample sizes ranging from 32 to 897 participants. The types of PA interventions analyzed included active play/free play/unstructured PA (AP), general structured PA (GSPA), FMS-targeted PA programs (FMS-programs), cognitively-engaging PA programs (CPA), multilevel PA interventions (MPA), and exergaming. PA interventions had a large, pooled effect size for total FMS (g = 0.96; 95%CI: 0.45-1.46; p < 0.01; I² = 94%). For CF, a small-to-moderate pooled effect size was found (g = 0.39; 95%CI: 0.18-0.60; p < 0.01; I² = 88%). PA interventions longer than 3 months showed fewer benefits for FMS (p < 0.01). The network meta-analysis showed that FMS-programs (standardized mean difference ((SMD) = 1.55, 95%CI: 0.98-2.11, SUCRA = 98.3%) and GSPA (SMD = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.05-1.85, SUCRA = 69.8%) significantly improved total FMS compared to AP. For locomotor skills (LMS), exergaming ranked highest (SUCRA = 79.3%), followed by FMS-programs (75.9%) and GSPA (61.6%). However, despite its top ranking, exergaming's effect estimate was not statistically significant (SMD = 1.38, 95%CI: -0.08 to 2.85). For object control skills (OCS), exergaming again ranked highest (SUCRA = 91.9%) and showed the largest significant effect (SMD = 2.38, 95%CI: 0.96-3.80), followed by FMS-programs (SUCRA = 78.5%) and GSPA (SUCRA = 53.7%). FMS-programs, GSPA, MPA, and UC also significantly improved OCS compared to AP. While no significant differences were observed across PA interventions for most CF domains, exergaming had a significant positive effect on working memory (SMD = 1.41, 95%CI: 0.07-2.75). The certainty of evidence varied from low to moderate.
conclusionThese findings emphasize the importance of PA interventions in improving FMS and CF in early childhood. FMS-programs and GSPA appear to be the most effective approaches for enhancing total FMS, while exergaming showed the highest ranking for LMS and OCS, with a significant impact on OCS but uncertainty in LMS improvements. Additionally, exergaming had a positive effect on working memory, suggesting its potential cognitive benefits.
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