Eight of thirteen reviews concluded physical activity benefits cognitive performance, five reported mixed or inconclusive evidence, and none suggested worse cognition¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · 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? Across thirteen systematic reviews of cognitive outcomes, eight concluded physical activity was beneficial and five reported mixed or inconclusive evidence; no review suggested worse cognitive performance. → Wassenaar Thomas M. 2020
Evidence¶
Wassenaar Thomas M. 2020¶
Wassenaar Thomas M., Williamson Wilby, Johansen-Berg Heidi, Dawes Helen, Roberts Nia, Foster Charlie, Sexton Claire E. (2020). A critical evaluation of systematic reviews assessing the effect of chronic physical activity on academic achievement, cognition and the brain in children and adolescents: a systematic review. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00959-y
q3 · i? · review · r3
Synthesis of the thirteen systematic reviews evaluating cognitive outcomes in children and adolescents. The article reports eight reviews concluded benefits, five mixed or inconclusive, and "None of the reviews suggested worse cognitive performance following PA".
"Across all thirteen reviews, eight concluded that PA was beneficial [24, 29, 33, 35, 36, 38–40] and five reported mixed or inconclusive evidence [25, 27, 30, 31, 37]. None of the reviews suggested worse cognitive performance following PA"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Evidence for physical activity benefits on academic achievement in youth is inconsistent: six of twelve reviews concluded benefits, six mixed or inconclusive
- Meta-analyses of physical activity effects on youth cognition and academic performance show small effect sizes (0.1–0.3) with substantial heterogeneity
- Systematic reviews on regular physical activity and children's cognition reach conflicting conclusions, with math performance the most consistent beneficiary
- Evidence for effects of acute bouts of physical activity on children's attention is weak and inconclusive — related
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