Cardiovascular fitness is positively associated with mathematics performance in primary school children regardless of socioeconomic status¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Multilevel analysis showed a positive association between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics (beta = 0.23) in the total group. → de Greeff 2014
Evidence¶
de Greeff 2014¶
de Greeff, J. W.; Hartman, E.; Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J.; Bosker, R. J.; Doolaard, S.; & Visscher, C. (2014). Physical fitness and academic performance in primary school children with and without a social disadvantage. Health Education Research, 29(5), 853-860. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyu043
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Multilevel analysis of data from 544 children (130 SDC, 414 non-SDC) relating cardiovascular fitness test results to mathematics, spelling and reading scores. The analysis showed a positive association with mathematics, "beta = 0.23". The article prints this regression coefficient but no standardised effect size, so no impact magnitude is coded. The authors conclude this link holds "regardless of socioeconomic status".
"In the total group, multilevel analysis showed positive associations between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics (beta = 0.23), and between cardiovascular fitness and spelling (beta = 0.16), but not with reading."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Physical Well-Being — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
- Socioeconomic Status — moderator: an instructional effect differs by group
Related Claims¶
- Cardiovascular fitness is positively associated with spelling but not with reading in primary school children — related
- Social disadvantage moderates the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and spelling — related
- Muscular fitness shows no association with academic performance in primary school children — related
- Socially disadvantaged children do not differ in physical fitness but score significantly lower on academic performance than non-disadvantaged peers — related
- Higher fit children show superior mathematics achievement but no reading or spelling advantage over lower fit children — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
cardiovascular-fitness-mathematics-association |
title |
Cardiovascular fitness is positively associated with mathematics performance in primary school children regardless of socioeconomic status |
description |
Cardiovascular fitness is positively associated with mathematics performance in primary school children regardless of socioeconomic status |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — de-greeff-2014 |
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