The DOI matches its Crossref record; 96 of the 101 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 14 of the 33 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents: a novel combination of a systematic review and recommendations from an expert panel
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To summarise the current evidence on the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children, and formulate research priorities and recommendations. DESIGN: Systematic review (following PRISMA guidelines) with a methodological quality assessment and an international expert panel. We based the evaluation of the consistency of the scientific evidence on the findings reported in studies rated as of high methodological quality. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, ERIC, and SPORTDiscus. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: PA-intervention studies in children with at least one cognitive or academic performance assessment. RESULTS: Eleven (19%) of 58 included intervention studies received a high-quality rating for methodological quality: four assessed effects of PA interventions on cognitive performance, six assessed effects on academic performance, and one on both. All high-quality studies contrasted the effects of additional/adapted PA activities with regular curriculum activities. For cognitive performance 10 of 21 (48%) constructs analysed showed statistically significant beneficial intervention effects of PA, while for academic performance, 15 of 25 (60%) analyses found a significant beneficial effect of PA. Across all five studies assessing PA effects on mathematics, beneficial effects were reported in six out of seven (86%) outcomes. Experts put forward 46 research questions. The most pressing research priority cluster concerned the causality of the relationship between PA and cognitive/academic performance. The remaining clusters pertained to PA characteristics, moderators and mechanisms governing the 'PA-performance' relationship and miscellaneous topics. CONCLUSION: There is currently inconclusive evidence for the beneficial effects of PA interventions on cognitive and overall academic performance in children. We conclude that there is strong evidence for beneficial effects of PA on maths performance.The expert panel confirmed that more 'high-quality' research is warranted. By prioritising the most important research questions and formulating recommendations we aim to guide researchers in generating high-quality evidence. Our recommendations focus on adequate control groups and sample size, the use of valid and reliable measurement instruments for physical activity and cognitive performance, measurement of compliance and data analysis. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017082505.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This paper combines a PRISMA systematic review of physical activity interventions in children and adolescents with an international Delphi expert panel. It finds inconclusive evidence for benefits on cognitive and overall academic performance, but strong evidence for benefits on mathematics, and it sets out research priorities and methodological recommendations.
Key findings
- From 8103 references, 58 intervention studies met inclusion criteria; 11 were rated high methodological quality, 29 moderate, and 17 weak.
- Among high-quality studies, 10 of 21 analyses (48%) found significant beneficial effects on cognitive performance, leading to inconclusive evidence.
- For academic performance overall, 15 of 25 analyses (60%) in high-quality studies showed significant beneficial effects, also inconclusive.
- Mathematics showed strong evidence of benefit: 6 of 7 outcomes (86%) across five high-quality studies were beneficial; language evidence was inconclusive. No study reported significant adverse effects.
Methods
- Systematic review registered in PROSPERO and reported per PRISMA, searching six databases through September 2017 for randomised and non-randomised physical activity intervention studies in healthy children and adolescents aged 0–18 with cognitive or academic outcomes.
- Methodological quality was assessed with an adapted quantitative-study tool across seven domains; evidence synthesis used only high-quality studies and rated consistency at construct/outcome level, with a 75% consistency threshold.
- A modified Delphi procedure ran in parallel: 23 international experts in two panels generated 59 research questions, reduced to 46 after removing duplicates, then rated and clustered them.
Limitations
- The paper states that inter-rater percentage agreement was not recorded, that quality assessment involved some subjectivity and discrepancies with another review, and that publication bias may overestimate beneficial effects.
- The paper notes that many studies compared different physical activity types or doses without a true no-activity control, so conclusions concern additional or adapted physical activity rather than physical activity per se; actual dose and compliance were often unmeasured.
- The paper also states that fewer than a quarter of included studies were high quality, and that many studies reported only significance without effect sizes or confidence intervals; evident from the text, restricting evidence synthesis to high-quality studies and excluding clinical samples limits generalisability.
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Claims the paper makes
13 Own method · 12 Own result · 11 No full text of the sources · 10 Own interpretation · 9 No basis given · 5 Supported · 4 Sources not found · 3 Partly supported · 2 Supported so far · accuracy not yet measured
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Hillman and colleagues 50 reported more improvement from pre-test to post-test in some aspects of cognitive performance and measures of brain function in children aged 8 to 9 years who followed the FITKids intervention versus a control group.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [50] source
The Participants section identifies the children as 8- to 9-year-olds randomly assigned to the FITKids intervention or a control group. The Discussion reports significant improvements in brain and behavioral measures of executive control after the intervention, selectively for tasks requiring inhibition and cognitive flexibility, with no significant differences in the wait-list control group. (LLM, conf=0.93)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Resaland et al 83 found no significant intervention effect on mathematics, reading or English in 10-year-old children.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [83] Resaland, 2016, Effects of physical activity on schoolchildren’s academic performance: The Active Smarter Kids (ASK) cluster-randomized controlled trial, Prev Med source
The Results (section 3) report no significant intervention effect on any academic performance measure in the intention-to-treat analyses. The Discussion (section 4) explicitly names numeracy, reading and English; the Methods (section 2.4.1) says numeracy is often called mathematics, and the Abstract identifies the children as 10-year-olds. The paper also reports a significant numeracy effect in a baseline low-performing subgroup, which does not alter the stated overall result. (LLM, conf=0.95)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Donnelly and colleagues 42 found improved academic performance on all reported outcome measures (ie, the composite scores of reading, spelling and mathematics), when comparing children who received daily bouts of moderate to vigorous PA during academic lessons for 3 years (up to 90 min/ week) with children who followed the regular curriculum.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [42] source
Split into 2 atoms — 2 confirmed, 0 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Interestingly, all four studies 38 41 42 70 that reported beneficial effects on maths performance assessed intervention programmes with a minimal frequency of three sessions per week and a minimal programme duration of two school years.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [38] sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Intervention (p. 3) specifies three exercise sessions per week, and Intervention Effect (p. 5) reports greater improvement in maths scores for intervention children. But the Design (p. 3) says children received the intervention for one school year and were in the comparison group the other year. This study therefore does not support the claim that its programme lasted at least two school years. (LLM, conf=0.91)
- Supportedcites [41] source
For this cited study, the Methods describe two specialist-taught PE sessions plus two or three additional sessions per week, with the intervention running for 75 of 80 school weeks over two years. The Discussion reports enhanced numeracy development. This paper supports the claim as applied to its own programme; it does not establish the details of the other three studies. (LLM, conf=0.90)
- Supportedcites [42] source
The Methods (Design; page unavailable) describe PAAC as a three-year programme targeting 90 minutes per week in approximately 10-minute activity lessons, consistent with at least three sessions weekly. The Results (Academic achievement; page unavailable) report significantly improved math scores compared with control schools. This paper supports the claim for PAAC, not independently for the other three cited studies. (LLM, conf=0.84)
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“A small number of studies examined functional brain correlates that may underlie the effects of PA on cognitive performance.49 50 57 58”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [49] source
The Methods (ERP recording) describe measuring brain activity during a working-memory task. The Results (CNV) report a larger iCNV response after the physical-activity intervention, and the Discussion (CNV) suggests this neural change may underlie more accurate task performance. The Introduction also describes the relevant childhood literature as relatively small. (LLM, conf=0.91)
- Supportedcites [50] source
The passage indexed under Abstract says that few studies had manipulated physical activity in children to investigate executive control and its neural underpinnings. The Discussion reports that this trial measured both brain-function and behavioral indices of executive control, making it one of the studies the citing sentence describes. (LLM, conf=0.92)
- Supportedcites [57] Chaddock-Heyman, 2013, The effects of physical activity on functional MRI activation associated with cognitive control in children: a randomized controlled intervention, Front Hum Neurosci source
The Introduction says that only a few studies in children had used fMRI to examine how physical activity and aerobic fitness relate to brain function during cognitive-control tasks. The Discussion identifies this paper as an intervention study examining both cognitive-control performance and associated brain activation. No page numbers are provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.93)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Across all five studies, beneficial effects were reported in six out of seven (86%) outcomes.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“All high-quality studies assessed the effects of an adapted curriculum (eg, increased frequency or duration of the PE session, adapted content of PE lessons, structured recess) or active academic lessons compared with regular curriculum activities (eg, regular academic and PE lessons, unstructured recess).”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Three of these studies reported significant beneficial effects in eight out of all 15 (53%) outcomes assessed.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Subramanian et al 65 reported beneficial effects of structured PA versus unstructured physical and creative sedentary activities in 12-to 17-year-olds on tasks measuring attention, concentration, non-verbal fluency, and mental flexibility.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [65] Subramanian, 2015, Effect of structured and unstructured physical activity training on cognitive functions in adolescents - a randomized control trial, J Clin Diagn Res source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Ahamed et al 30 found no significant intervention effect on academic performance in 9-to 11-year-old children.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [30] source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 19
- Probably not a substantial claim. 24
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Telford et al 41 compared 2 years of specialist-taught PE with non-specialist taught PE and found a significant intervention effect of 10.9 points in numeracy but not in reading or writing in 8-to 11-year-old children.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [41] sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Participation in an exergaming-based intervention (2×15 min, three times a week) in a study by Gao et al 38 resulted in higher maths grades in fourth-grade children compared with a group receiving unstructured recess, but no significant differences in reading scores.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [38] source
Split into 2 atoms — 2 confirmed, 0 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Supported
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Of the 11 high-quality studies, four reported outcomes on cognitive performance, 36 50 54 65 six on academic performance, 30 38 41 42 51 83 and one on both. 70”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [36] Chaya, 2012, Effect of yoga on cognitive abilities in schoolchildren from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background: a randomized controlled study, J Journal Complement Med source
- Supportedcites [50] source
This citation is offered for the cognitive-performance category, rather than for the citing paper’s tally of 11 studies. The Statistical Analysis section identifies flanker and task-switching performance as primary outcomes, and Changes in Cognitive Flexibility reports an improvement in task performance. (LLM, conf=0.91)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [54] Schmidt, 2015, Cognitively engaging chronic physical activity, but not aerobic exercise, affects executive functions in primary school children: a group-randomized controlled trial, J Sport Exerc Psychol source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“We based the evaluation of the consistency of the scientific evidence on the findings reported in studies rated as of high methodological quality.”
- Also stated in: § Methodological quality assessment and synthesis of scientific evidence · plain
“In accordance with a previous systematic review by our group, 9 the level of scientific evidence was rated based on the following criteria:”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Abstract
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [9] sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE section says the review disregarded low-quality studies when at least two high-quality studies were available. But it also used low-quality studies to assess moderate evidence in other cases, so the claim overstates the extent to which its evaluation relied on high-quality studies alone. The supplied passages do not give page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.86)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Also stated in: § Methodological quality assessment and synthesis of scientific evidence · plain
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Eleven studies were rated as of high methodological quality, 30 36 38 41 42 50 51 54 65 70 83 29 studies as of moderate, and 17 as of weak methodological quality”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Methodological quality
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [30] source
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [36] Chaya, 2012, Effect of yoga on cognitive abilities in schoolchildren from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background: a randomized controlled study, J Journal Complement Med source
- Supportedcites [38] source
The citation appears in a list identifying studies the citing authors rated as high quality; the quality ratings and totals are the citing authors’ appraisal, not findings attributed to each listed study. The Design section (p. 3) confirms that this source is an intervention study, so it supports its identification in that list. (LLM, conf=0.82)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It is important to keep in mind that many studies compared various types and doses of physical activity against one another and did not include true no-PA control conditions.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Chaya and colleagues 36 compared daily yoga with structured PA (stretching and aerobic exercise) and found no significant differences on any of the cognitive performance tests between groups.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [36] Chaya, 2012, Effect of yoga on cognitive abilities in schoolchildren from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background: a randomized controlled study, J Journal Complement Med source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“All the experts agreed with the final formulation and clustering of the research questions (see online supplementary table 3).”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Expert panel results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The selected expert panel members are representative of the relevant scientific community.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The highest rated research question (111 out of 115 points) highlighted the need to establish the causality of the relationship between PA and cognitive and academic performance.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Expert panel results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: The selected expert panel members are representative of the relevant scientific community.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As confirmed by our expert panel, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the potential effects of PA on cognitive performance.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Rests on an assumption: The selected expert panel members are representative of the relevant scientific community.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Many studies in our review compared a specific PA intervention versus regular PE lessons or more PA versus less PA, often leading to little contrast in duration or frequency of PA between groups.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Recommendations
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Only one study conducted by Pesce et al 43 conducted a mediation analysis and found that ball skills mediated the effect an intervention programme during physical education on inhibition, a core executive function.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Pesce et al 43
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Most examined PA interventions require a high level of commitment from school staff to be implemented.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Many studies only mention whether the intervention effect was significant or not without providing information on effect sizes, confidence intervals or an exact P-value.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Recommendations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Cognitive/academic performance can theoretically improve through biological or psychosocial pathways, 20 and an interplay between the two is possible and probable.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [20] source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines for this review.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > METhODs
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As such, our conclusion refers to the effects of additional PA or adaptations of the PA curriculum such as structured recess, frequency/intensity/ specialist taught PE, active academic lessons on cognitive or academic performance, but not on the effects of PA per se.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The current review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42017082505).”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > METhODs
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This subjectivity is partly due to the interpretation of the categories, but also to the fact that weighing and interpretation of certain methodological aspects are highly dependent on the specific research question.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We have not recorded the percentage agreement between the raters in the different phases (ie, selection of the studies, quality assessment), but all disagreements were resolved by discussion between both raters or if necessary by a third author.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Additional information
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Differential effects between exercise types may stem from various reasons.90”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [90] Pesce, 2012, Shifting the focus from quantitative to qualitative exercise characteristics in exercise and cognition research, J Sport Exerc Psychol source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Variability of practice that is central to coordination and perceptual-motor exercise training, for example, may be an interface between motor and cognitive development promotion.91”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [91] Pesce, 2016, Variability of practice as an interface between motor and cognitive development, Int J Sport Exerc Psychol source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Interrupting and limiting sedentary time with standing desks or short activity bouts may be more feasible in the school setting and, therefore, a promising form of intervention.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This study employed a structured Delphi technique to map the research priorities set and ranked by international experts.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As part of the SMART MOVES! project, the current study was approved by the Medical and Ethical Committee of the VU University medical center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Additional information
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These steps were taken to assure greater objectivity and generalisability in rating the research questions.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We believe that our choice of assessing evidence on the level of outcomes provides a more detailed picture of potential PA effects on cognitive/academic performance.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Rests on an assumption: Previous reviews based their conclusions on study-level findings and did not take into account the number of outcomes analysed, leading to potential overestimation of the relationship between PA and cognitive/academic performance.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A major strength of our review is that we only included intervention studies, which enables us to draw conclusions on the effects of PA interventions on cognitive and academic performance.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Another strength is the combination of the systematic literature search with a methodological quality assessment: both served as the basis for the evidence synthesis at the level of outcome measures.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Therefore, the exact dose of PA that children received is unknown, or it is unclear whether they compensated the increased PA in school with less PA after school.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Recommendations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Experts were not influenced by one another in generating or rating the responses, and, in fact, were not known to each other until after data collection was completed.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Two researchers independently rated the methodological quality, and, when necessary, the authors of the included studies were approached to provide additional information to ensure an optimal level of accuracy.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“An important strength of this method is the anonymity of responses throughout the rounds.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In addition, experts on our panel represented research institutions in various countries and continents and offered experience from different scientific fields.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > strengths and limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
The selected expert panel members are representative of the relevant scientific community.
“The leading authors (AS, ES, VB, MC) independently recommended a multidisciplinary group of international experts on the topic of PA and cognitive/academic performance in children from different regions of the world.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Previous reviews based their conclusions on study-level findings and did not take into account the number of outcomes analysed, leading to potential overestimation of the relationship between PA and cognitive/academic performance.
“Previous reviews based their conclusions on study level findings (ie, if a study reported beneficial effects of an intervention on one but not all outcome measures, the study was rated as 'positive').”
“Most reviews summarised the existing evidence at study level, not taking into account the number of outcomes analysed, thereby leading to a potential overestimation of the suggested relationship between PA and cognitive/academic performance.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Positive findings are more likely to be published, resulting in an overestimation of the beneficial effect of PA on cognitive/academic performance.
“Another potential limitation is publication bias: positive findings are more likely to be published, resulting in an overestimation of the beneficial effect of PA on cognitive/ academic performance.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Recent research also suggests that physical activity during childhood may also promote cognitive development and therefore improve academic performance.”
From Does Learning Through Movement Improve Academic Performance in Primary Schoolchildren? A Systematic Review (2022) · cites this paper as [14]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Likewise, a study conducted by Singh et al. [29] investigated the relationship between PA interventions and academic and cognitive performance and reported inconclusive results. Notably, of the 11 high-quality studies included in the synthesis, 60% reported a significant beneficial effect of PA on academic performance, and 48% reported a significant beneficial effect on cognitive performance.”
From The Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [29]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Rasberry et al. [28], Singh et al. [29], and Sember et al. [30] only included children or adolescents that were nondisabled, and Marques et al. [14] did not specify the characteristics of the included population.”
From The Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [29]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Singh et al. (2019) further demonstrated that physical activity interventions, particularly those integrated into classroom activities, may be beneficial for cognitive functioning, attention, and academic performance in children and adolescents.”
From The impact of physical activity on academic performance in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Singh et al., 2019
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“A growing body of evidence suggests that regular physical activity is associated with improvements in cognitive functioning, attentional performance, and academic achievement among children and adolescents (Singh et al., 2019; Unterguggenberger, 2025).”
From The impact of physical activity on academic performance in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Singh et al., 2019
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Finally, a recent systematic review on the effects of PA interventions on academic performance in 3–16 years olds concluded that strong evidence exist of the beneficial effects of PA on numeracy performance, but the evidence is inconclusive for overall academic performance [13].”
In the citing paper
“However, a recent meta-analysis of high-quality intervention studies shows strong evidence for the beneficial effects of physical activity on math performance but inconclusive evidence on the beneficial effects of physical activity interventions on cognition and overall academic performance in children.80”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [80]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated major: it would touch a result — a value a result rests on, reported and recomputed p-values on opposite sides of the significance level, two passages that conflict with no sign which is right, or a cited work retracted before this paper was published.
In the paper
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
“Stratifying the evidence synthesis at the level of outcome for academic performance we conclude that there is strong evidence for beneficial effects of PA on maths performance (beneficial effects on 86% of the outcomes), but inconclusive evidence for language performance (beneficial effect on 27% of the outcomes).”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Review
“Three of these studies reported significant beneficial effects in eight out of all 15 (53%) outcomes assessed.”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
“For intervention effects of PA on academic performance, 15 out of 25 (60%) analysed constructs in six highquality studies found a significant beneficial effect, also leading to inconclusive evidence.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
“Of the 11 high-quality studies, four reported outcomes on cognitive performance, 36 50 54 65 six on academic performance, 30 38 41 42 51 83 and one on both. 70”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > DIsCussIOn
“Six high-quality studies included in our systematic review examined the effect of PA on cognitive performance constructs: 48% of the analyses showed a significant beneficial effect of PA, resulting in inconclusive evidence for beneficial PA effects on cognitive performance.”
§ Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents > Evidence synthesis
“Of the 11 high-quality studies, four reported outcomes on cognitive performance, 36 50 54 65 six on academic performance, 30 38 41 42 51 83 and one on both. 70”
Citations
Cites
Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood
Gogtay, N., Giedd, J. N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K. M., Greenstein, D., Vaituzis, A. C., Nugent, T. F., Herman, D. H., Clasen, L. S., Toga, A. W., et al. (2004) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0402680101 · Cited by 5,604
Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study
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Janssen, I., & LeBlanc, A. G. (2010) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/1479-5868-7-40 · Cited by 4,829 · cited 1×
“The physical and mental health benefits of PA are widely acknowledged, 7 8 but less is known about the potential effects of PA on cognitive and academic performance.”
BackgroundBe smart, exercise your heart: Exercise effects on brain and cognition
Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2298 · Cited by 3,563
Self-citationPhysical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews
Biddle, S. J. H., & Asare, M. (2011) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090185 · Cited by 2,447
Exercise builds brain health: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation
Cotman, C. W., Berchtold, N. C., & Christie, L.-A. (2007) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2007.06.011 · Cited by 2,268
Thomas, B. H., Ciliska, D., Dobbins, M., & Micucci, S. (2004) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1524-475x.2004.04006.x · Cited by 2,118
Donnelly, J. E., Hillman, C. H., Castelli, D., Etnier, J. L., Lee, S., Tomporowski, P., Lambourne, K., & Szabo-Reed, A. N. (2016) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000000901 · Cited by 1,864
Self-citationInvestigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment
Alloway, T. P., & Alloway, R. G. (2009) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2009.11.003 · Cited by 1,489
The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: a meta-analysis
Sibley, B. A., & Etnier, J. L. (2003) · Pediatric Exercise Science · doi:10.1123/pes.15.3.243 · Cited by 1,308
Self-citation
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–108 of 108
Cristi-Montero, C., Ibarra-Mora, J., Gaya, A., Castro-Piñero, J., Solis-Urra, P., Aguilar-Farias, N., Ferrari, G., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, F., & Sadarangani, K. P. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph181910073 · Cited by 17
Physical activity and academic performance: Genetic and environmental associations
AALTONEN, S., LATVALA, A., JELENKOVIC, A., ROSE, R. J., KUJALA, U. M., KAPRIO, J., & SILVENTOINEN, K. (2020) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000002124 · Cited by 15
Wang, T., & Guo, C. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19084678 · Cited by 13
“Regarding the direct influence mechanism of physical activity on the academic achievement and cognitive ability of adolescents, there is no definite conclusion yet [2,3], but the development of neurophysiology in recent years has provided us with some basic evidence.”
BackgroundJeppesen, L. S., Damsgaard, L., Stolpe, M. N., Melcher, J. N. S., Wienecke, J., Nielsen, G., Smedegaard, S., Henriksen, A. H., Hansen, R. A., Hillman, C. H., et al. (2024) · BMC Pediatrics · doi:10.1186/s12887-024-04647-9 · Cited by 6
Self-citationPhysical activity, cognitive health and learning in youth: a narrative umbrella review
Unterguggenberger, S. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph23010011 · Cited by 2
The impact of physical activity on academic performance in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis
Feng, Z., Zhao, Z., Chen, R., & Liu, Y. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1836195
Yang, Y. (2025) · Journal of teaching in physical education · doi:10.37766/inplasy2025.3.0111
Brunet, L., Rémeau, M., Houdé, O., & Borst, G. (2026) · British Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjep.70127
Metadata
- Authors
- Singh, A. S., Saliasi, E., van den Berg, V., Uijtdewilligen, L., de Groot, R. H. M., Jolles, J., Andersen, L. B., Bailey, R., Chang, Y.-K., Diamond, A., Ericsson, I., Etnier, J. L., Fedewa, A. L., Hillman, C. H., McMorris, T., Pesce, C., Pühse, U., Tomporowski, P. D., & Chinapaw, M. J. M.
- Affiliations
- Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (NO)
- National Taiwan Normal University (TW)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Malmö University (SE)
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro (US)
- University of Kentucky (US)
- Northeastern University (US)
- University of Chichester (GB)
- Foro Italico University of Rome (IT)
- University of Basel (CH)
- University of Georgia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Singh, Amika S
- ORCID
- Venue
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2018-07-30
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 640-647
- ISSN
- 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
- 1473-0480
- OpenAlex
- W2885359685
- Cited by
- 588
- References
- 101
- Citations by year
- 2026: 57 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 70 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 87 · 2021: 88 · 2020: 78 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 6.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
- DSpace (Open University in the Netherlands) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Malmö University Publications (Malmö University) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- DSpace (Open University in the Netherlands) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Social Sciences › Education › Physical Education and Pedagogy
- Keywords
- physical activity interventions, cognitive performance, academic performance, children, adolescents, mathematics achievement, research priorities, expert panel recommendations, causality, mechanisms, control groups, measurement instruments
- MeSH terms
- Academic Performance, Adolescent, Child, Cognition, Humans, Exercise
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-11, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-11 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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