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Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship among physical activity (PA), fitness, cognitive function, and academic achievement in children is receiving considerable attention. The utility of PA to improve cognition and academic achievement is promising but uncertain; thus, this position stand will provide clarity from the available science. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: 1) among children age 5-13 yr, do PA and physical fitness influence cognition, learning, brain structure, and brain function? 2) Among children age 5-13 yr, do PA, physical education (PE), and sports programs influence standardized achievement test performance and concentration/attention? STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: This study used primary source articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals. Articles that presented data on, PA, fitness, or PE/sport participation and cognition, learning, brain function/structure, academic achievement, or concentration/attention were included. DATA SOURCES: Two separate searches were performed to identify studies that focused on 1) cognition, learning, brain structure, and brain function and 2) standardized achievement test performance and concentration/attention. PubMed, ERIC, PsychInfo, SportDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, and Embase were searched (January 1990-September 2014) for studies that met inclusion criteria. Sixty-four studies met inclusion criteria for the first search (cognition/learning/brain), and 73 studies met inclusion criteria for the second search (academic achievement/concentration). STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Articles were grouped by study design as cross-sectional, longitudinal, acute, or intervention trials. Considerable heterogeneity existed for several important study parameters; therefore, results were synthesized and presented by study design. RESULTS: A majority of the research supports the view that physical fitness, single bouts of PA, and PA interventions benefit children's cognitive functioning. Limited evidence was available concerning the effects of PA on learning, with only one cross-sectional study meeting the inclusion criteria. Evidence indicates that PA has a relationship to areas of the brain that support complex cognitive processes during laboratory tasks. Although favorable results have been obtained from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies related to academic achievement, the results obtained from controlled experiments evaluating the benefits of PA on academic performance are mixed, and additional, well-designed studies are needed. LIMITATIONS: Limitations in evidence meeting inclusion criteria for this review include lack of randomized controlled trials, limited studies that are adequately powered, lack of information on participant characteristics, failure to blind for outcome measures, proximity of PA to measurement outcomes, and lack of accountability for known confounders. Therefore, many studies were ranked as high risk for bias because of multiple design limitations. CONCLUSIONS: The present systematic review found evidence to suggest that there are positive associations among PA, fitness, cognition, and academic achievement. However, the findings are inconsistent, and the effects of numerous elements of PA on cognition remain to be explored, such as type, amount, frequency, and timing. Many questions remain regarding how to best incorporate PA within schools, such as activity breaks versus active lessons in relation to improved academic achievement. Regardless, the literature suggests no indication that increases in PA negatively affect cognition or academic achievement and PA is important for growth and development and general health. On the basis of the evidence available, the authors concluded that PA has a positive influence on cognition as well as brain structure and function; however, more research is necessary to determine mechanisms and long-term effect as well as strategies to translate laboratory findings to the school environment. Therefore, the evidence category rating is B. The literature suggests that PA and PE have a neutral effect on academic achievement. Thus, because of the limitations in the literature and the current information available, the evidence category rating for academic achievement is C.
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“In addition, a lack of moderators, including SES, family support, age, sex, psychological variables, nutritional status, may have also contributed to these diverse findings [17].”
From Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
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
“In childhood and adolescents, a healthy diet [2, 3], physical activity [4–6], and healthy weight [7] have also been found to be independently associated with immediate positive health outcomes, including improved mental health and academic performance.”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [6]
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
“Dose-response for both MVPA and VPA were positively associated with GPA, with stronger effects observed for VPA (Alfaro-Chaverri et al., 2025; Donnelly et al., 2016; Renke et al., 2022; Singh et al., 2025).”
From Physical activity and academic performance in adolescents: a systematic review of intensity, frequency, and mediating factors (2026) · cites this paper as Donnelly et al., 2016
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
“Literature including child and adolescent populations suggests that PA positively influences AP, as more active students show better AP [18,19], even if there is only limited evidence [20,21].”
From The Tridirectional Relationship among Physical Activity, Stress, and Academic Performance in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [21]
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
“ECA may support achievement by providing structured, adult-supervised contexts that foster self-regulation, persistence, motivation, peer integration and school engagement (Contreras-Osorio et al., 2021;Donnelly et al., 2016;Eccles et al., 2003;Fredricks & Eccles, 2006;Román-Caballero et al., 2022;Singh et al., 2019;Váradi, 2022).”
From Participation in extracurricular activities predicts academic growth and mediates socioeconomic inequalities in primary school (2026) · cites this paper as Donnelly et al., 2016
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“This is significant as several studies state that aerobic fitness is a predictor of academic performance [67,68,69].”
From The Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [67]
In the citing paper
“Part of the effect of PA on AA is likely mediated via the brain’s executive functions [17], with PA inducing, neural growth and modification in synaptic transmission, resulting in changes in thinking, decision-making, and, particularly in the prefrontal cortex [18].”
From Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
In the citing paper
“For these reasons, definitive conclusions cannot yet be drawn [17,23,24].”
From Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
In the citing paper
“However, results from previous reviews have been inconsistent, which may be due to the variety of study designs employed in this area.”
From Physical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
In the citing paper
“Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that PA has a positive impact on cognitive performance and academic achievement in children and adolescents [3,5,6,7,28,54].”
In the citing paper
“Moreover, higher levels of physical fitness have also been linked to a positive effect on cognitive function and academic achievement [12,28,55,66].”
In the citing paper
“There is a positive association between physical activity (both moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity and vigorous-intensity physical activity) and physical fitness and academic performance in children and adolescents.71–74”
From Physical activity and health in Chinese children and adolescents: expert consensus statement (2020) (2020) · cites this paper as [74]
In the citing paper
“we argue that the consistency of effects and of effect sizes across populations (16, 26), durations of PA (including acute bouts), intensities, comorbid conditions (58), and ages (12) is truly remarkable”
From Physical Activity, Cognition, and Brain Outcomes: A Review of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines (2019) · cites this paper as [26]
In the citing paper
“However, these efforts have not yet translated into improving the physical activity levels of Canadian children and youth.18”
From Global Matrix 3.0 Physical Activity Report Card Grades for Children and Youth: Results and Analysis From 49 Countries (2018) · cites this paper as [18]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Donnelly, J. E., Hillman, C. H., Castelli, D., Etnier, J. L., Lee, S., Tomporowski, P., Lambourne, K., & Szabo-Reed, A. N.
- Venue
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Published
- 2016-06
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1197-1222
- ISSN
- 0195-9131 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4874515
- OpenAlex
- W2396881340
- Cited by
- 1,864
- References
- 170
- Citations by year
- 2026: 183 · 2025: 199 · 2024: 191 · 2023: 204 · 2022: 241 · 2021: 232 · 2020: 224 · 2019: 174 · 2018: 127 · 2017: 68 · 2016: 19
- FWCI
- 15.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (CC999999)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (F32DK103493)
- 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, physical fitness, cognitive function, academic performance, children, brain structure, brain function, learning, physical education, sports participation, standardized achievement tests, attention, concentration, exercise intervention
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adolescent, Brain, Child, Child, Preschool, Cognition, Humans, Learning, Physical Fitness, Exercise
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