Associations between physical activity, physical fitness, sedentary behavior, and mathematics achievement in school-aged children: a cross-sectional study.

Souhail Hermassi, Ayat Alshaer, Abdulla Alneama, Sascha Ketelhut, Roland van den Tillaar

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in cognition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

5 authors.

Souhail HermassiPhysical Education Department, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Ayat AlshaerPhysical Education Department, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Abdulla AlneamaPhysical Education Department, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Sascha KetelhutInstitute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Roland van den TillaarDepartment of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Nord University, Levanger, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aim: This study examined associations between physical activity, physical fitness, and academic achievement in school-aged children, considering potential sex differences. Methods: A total of 126 schoolchildren (12.2 ± 0.4 years) participated in this cross-sectional study and were classified as physically active ( Results: Active children had lower body mass than non-active children (boys: 47.2 ± 12.9 vs. 53.8 ± 15.0 kg; girls: 50.6 ± 9.5 vs. 53.8 ± 15.7 kg; Conclusion: Physically active children demonstrated higher physical fitness and mathematics achievement than non-active peers. These findings support cross-sectional associations among physical activity, physical fitness, sedentary behavior, and mathematics achievement. However, because of the cross-sectional design and the absence of statistical control for potential confounding factors such as biological maturation, causal or independent relationships cannot be inferred.

Indexed as

cognitive performanceexercisemotor controlsedentary behaviorsex differences

Identifiers

PMID42819114

DOI10.3389/fcogn.2026.1903208

PMCPMC13623577

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

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.