Active commuting to and from school is not significantly associated with cognitive performance in children and adolescents (pooled ES = −0.02)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 Across studies pooling nonexecutive cognitive functions, core executive functions, and metacognition, the pooled effect size for ACS versus non-ACS was not statistically significant (ES = −0.02; 95% CI: −0.06 to 0.03), with no important heterogeneity. → Ruiz-Hermosa A. 2019

Evidence¶

Ruiz-Hermosa A. 2019¶

Ruiz-Hermosa A., Álvarez-Bueno C., Cavero-Redondo I., Martínez-Vizcaíno V., Redondo-Tébar A., Sánchez-López M. (2019). Active Commuting to and from School, Cognitive Performance, and Academic Achievement in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101839

q3 · i0 · quant-synthesis · r2

Meta-analysis (DerSimonian and Laird random-effects) of studies comparing active versus passive commuters on cognitive performance, pooling nonexecutive functions, core executive functions, and metacognition. The review reports "ES: −0.02" with no important heterogeneity (I2 = 17.2%; p = 0.269).

"The pooled ES estimate was not statistically significant (ES: −0.02; 95% CI: −0.0.6 to 0.03) for the association between the mode of commuting to and from school (ACS or non-ACS) and a global measure of all cognitive domains"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Pooled analysis finds no significant association between active commuting to school and mathematics performance
• Active commuting to and from school is not significantly associated with language-related skills (pooled ES = −0.37, considerable heterogeneity)
• Active commuting to and from school is not significantly associated with mathematics-related skills (pooled ES = −0.33, considerable heterogeneity)
• Subgroup analyses by mode of ACS, age, and sex show no significant differences in pooled effect sizes for academic outcomes
• Among younger children, active commuting shows negative associations with grades and reading comprehension in some studies — related
• Within included studies, ACS was positively associated with cognitive performance and academic achievement in adolescent girls but not adolescent boys — reports the opposite
• Active commuting to and from school is not associated with improvements in mathematics and language achievement — related
• Longer duration of active commuting relates to better cognitive performance in a dose–response pattern among girls — reports the opposite
• Active commuting to school shows a positive association with at least one cognitive measure in a majority of reviewed studies, though findings are inconsistent across measures — reports the opposite