The Associations of Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Cognitive Functions in School-Aged Children
Abstract. Low levels of physical activity among children have raised concerns over the effects of a physically inactive lifestyle, not only on physical health but also on cognitive prerequisites of learning. This study examined how objectively measured and self- reported physical activity and sedentary behavior are associated with cognitive functions in school-aged children. The study population consisted of 224 children from five schools in the Jyva ̈ skyla ̈ school district in Finland (mean age 12.2 years; 56% girls), who participated in the study in the spring of 2011. Physical activity and sedentary time were measured objectively for seven consecutive days using the ActiGraph GT1M/GT3X …
Physical fitness development in relation to changes in body composition and physical activity in adolescence
The decline in adolescents’ physical fitness (PF) in recent decades has raised concerns about current population’s possible future challenges with health and physical functional capacity. This study explored the associations between body composition, physical activity, maturation, and PF development in adolescents. Furthermore, PF development of adolescents with low initial PF was assessed. A 2‐year observational study was conducted between spring 2013 and 2015. Nine comprehensive schools and their 10‐ to 13‐year‐old students were invited to participate in the study (1778), and a total of 971 students (54.6%) agreed. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20‐metre shuttle run), muscular fitness (push‐u…
How physical activity, fitness, and motor skills contribute to math performance: Working memory as a mediating factor
Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether physical activity, fitness and motor skills have indirect association with math performance via cognitive outcomes and if so, through which aspects of cognition? Methods This study comprised 311 6th–9th grade adolescents (12–17y [M age=14.0y], 59% girls) from seven schools throughout Finland in 2015. Math performance was measured via a teacher-rated math achievement and the Basic Arithmetic test. Cognitive functions were measured by broad cognitive test battery. Physical activity was assessed with a self-reported questionnaire and a hip-worn accelerometer. Aerobic fitness was estimated using a maximal 20-m shuttle run test, muscular f…
Objectively measured physical activity, body composition and physical fitness: Cross-sectional associations in 9- to 15-year-old children.
The aim of this study was to examine and quantify the cross-sectional associations of body composition (BC), physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) with physical fitness (PF) in children and adolescents. A sample of 594 Finnish students (56% girls), aged 9-15 (12.4 ± 1.3 years) were selected for a study performed in 2013. The measurements of the Move! monitoring system for physical functional capacity were used to measure cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness and fundamental movement skills. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were measured objectively with an accelerometer and BC by a bioelectrical impedance analysis. Fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) we…
Physical activity, aerobic fitness, and brain white matter : Their role for executive functions in adolescence
Highlights • Aerobic fitness level, but not physical activity, is related to white matter properties in the brain. • The relation between physical activity and working memory is moderated by fractional anisotropy (FA) of the corpus callosum. • The FA of the corpus callosum and superior corona radiata moderates the relation between aerobic fitness and working memory.
Physical activity is positively related to local functional connectivity in adolescents’ brains
AbstractAdolescents have experienced decreased aerobic fitness levels and insufficient physical activity levels over the past decades. While both physical activity and aerobic fitness are related to physical and mental health, little is known concerning how they manifest in the brain during this stage of development, characterized by significant physical and psychosocial changes. Previous investigations have demonstrated associations of physical activity and aerobic fitness with the brain’s functional connectivity in both children and adults. However, it is difficult to generalize these results to adolescents because the development of functional connectivity has unique features during adol…
Motoristen perustaitojen yhteydet matemaattisiin taitoihin kolmasluokkalaisilla
Fyysinen aktiivisuus ja kestävyyskunto ovat tutkimusten mukaan positiivisesti yhteydessä koulumenestykseen, mutta motoristen perustaitojen yhteyttä on tutkittu vähemmän. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin ovatko motoriset perustaidot ja sen osa-alueista erityisesti liikkumis-, välineenkäsittely- ja tasapainotaidot yhteydessä matemaattisiin taitoihin perusopetuksen kolmasluokkalaisilla. Tutkimus on osa laajempaa Likes-tutkimuskeskuksen Liikkuvaa matikkaa -tutkimusta. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin syksyllä 2019 kolmestatoista keskisuomalaisesta koulusta, joista tutkimukseen osallistui 384 oppilasta (tyttöjä 50 %, ikä keskimäärin 8,8 vuotta, keskihajonta 0,5). Motorisia perustaitoja mitattiin kahde…
Aerobic fitness, but not physical activity, is associated with grey matter volume in adolescents.
Higher levels of aerobic fitness and physical activity are linked to beneficial effects on brain health, especially in older adults. The generalizability of these earlier results to young individuals is not straightforward, because physiological responses (such as cardiovascular responses) to exercise may depend on age. Earlier studies have mostly focused on the effects of either physical activity or aerobic fitness on the brain. Yet, while physical activity indicates the amount of activity, aerobic fitness is an adaptive state or attribute that an individual has or achieves. Here, by measuring both physical activity and aerobic fitness in the same study, we aimed to differentiate the assoc…
Physical activity and aerobic fitness show different associations with brain processes underlying anticipatory selective visuospatial attention in adolescents
ABSTRACTUnderlying brain processes of exercise-related benefits on executive functions and the specific contribution of physical activity vs. aerobic fitness are poorly understood, especially during adolescence. We explored whether and how physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with selective attention and the oscillatory dynamics induced by an anticipatory spatial cue. Further, we studied whether the link between physical exercise level and cognitive control in adolescents is mediated by the task-related oscillatory activity. Magnetoencephalographic alpha oscillations during a modified Posner’s cueing paradigm were measured in 59 adolescents (37 females and 22 males, 12 to 17…
Longitudinal associations of physical activity and pubertal development with academic achievement in adolescents.
Highlights • Boys with higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity had better academic achievement than those with lower levels of physical activity at baseline. • Physical activity was not associated with academic achievement at follow-up in boys or girls. • Continuously inactive adolescents had poorer academic achievement over the follow-up period than their more active peers. • Girls with more advanced pubertal status had better academic achievement than other girls.
Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Academic Performance in Finnish Children
Purpose: This study aimed to determine the relationships between objectively measured and self-reported physical activity, sedentary behavior, and academic performance in Finnish children. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-seven children from five schools in the Jyväskylä school district in Finland (58% of the 475 eligible students, mean age = 12.2 yr, 56% girls) participated in the study in the spring of 2011. Self-reported physical activity and screen time were evaluated with questions used in the WHO Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study. Children’s physical activity and sedentary time were measured objectively by using an ActiGraph GT1M/GT3X accelerometer for seven consecutive da…
Physical activity and aerobic fitness in relation to local and interhemispheric functional connectivity in adolescents' brains
Abstract Introduction Adolescents have experienced decreased aerobic fitness levels and insufficient physical activity levels over the past decades. While both physical activity and aerobic fitness are related to physical and mental health, little is known concerning how they manifest in the brain during this stage of development, characterized by significant physical and psychosocial changes. The aim of the study is to examine the associations between both physical activity and aerobic fitness with brains’ functional connectivity. Methods Here, we examined how physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with local and interhemispheric functional connectivity of the adolescent brai…
The Longitudinal Associations of Fitness and Motor Skills with Academic Achievement
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