Physical Activity, Academic Performance and Cognition in Children and Adolescents. A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
A literature review was conducted to investigate the effect of physical exercise and physical training on cognition and academic performance in children and adolescents. Nine randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials with 2,013 participants were identified by employing the following data sources: the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Eric, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and ISI Web of Knowledge. Five studies indicated positive effects of physical exercise on attention, concentration, and working memory, and three studies reported positive effects of 14 to 64 week physical training on language and arithmetic skills. Thus, there is some evidence that physical exercise may facilitate cognitive functions related to learning and enhance academic performance.
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A short-duration program is not useful to have a long-term improvement on academic performance.
“Even if the literature suggests that the length of the intervention did not influence the effect of the intervention (21), a short-duration program is not useful to have a long-term improvement on academic performance (85).”
From Does Learning Through Movement Improve Academic Performance in Primary Schoolchildren? A Systematic Review (2022) · cites this paper as [85]
Cites
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 · see citing works
Be 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 · see citing works
Smith, P. J., Blumenthal, J. A., Hoffman, B. M., Cooper, H., Strauman, T. A., Welsh-Bohmer, K., Browndyke, J. N., & Sherwood, A. (2010) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e3181d14633 · Cited by 1,714 · see citing works
Physical education, school physical activity, school sports and academic performance
Trudeau, F., & Shephard, R. J. (2008) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-10 · Cited by 879 · see citing works
School-Based Physical Activity Does Not Compromise Children's Academic Performance
AHAMED, Y., MACDONALD, H., REED, K., NAYLOR, P.-J., LIU-AMBROSE, T., & MCKAY, H. (2007) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000241654.45500.8e · Cited by 314 · see citing works
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Watson, A., Timperio, A., Brown, H., Best, K., & Hesketh, K. D. (2017) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0569-9 · Cited by 689 · see citing works
Haverkamp, B. F., Wiersma, R., Vertessen, K., van Ewijk, H., Oosterlaan, J., & Hartman, E. (2020) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2020.1794763 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
“Furthermore, most studies focus on cognitive outcomes, while few studies describe effects of physical activity interventions on academic performance (Haapala, 2012).”
BackgroundPhysical Activity and Academic Achievement: An Umbrella Review
Barbosa, A., Whiting, S., Simmonds, P., Scotini Moreno, R., Mendes, R., & Breda, J. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17165972 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Li, J. W., O’Connor, H., O’Dwyer, N., & Orr, R. (2017) · Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2016.11.025 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Petrigna, L., Thomas, E., Brusa, J., Rizzo, F., Scardina, A., Galassi, C., Lo Verde, D., Caramazza, G., & Bellafiore, M. (2022) · Frontiers in Pediatrics · doi:10.3389/fped.2022.841582 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Physical 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 · see citing works
- Authors
- Haapala, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Eastern Finland (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Haapala, Eero
- ORCID
- Haapala, Eero
- Venue
- Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity
- Published
- 2012-01-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2080-1297 (ISSN-L)
- 2080-9999
- OpenAlex
- W2010453978
- Cited by
- 58
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4
- FWCI
- 0.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Physical Education and Training Studies
- Keywords
- physical activity, academic performance, cognition, children, adolescents, attention, concentration, working memory, language skills, arithmetic skills, exercise training
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