Executive functions mediate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and academic achievement in Spanish schoolchildren aged 8 to 11 years

ObjectivesPrevious research has studied the influence of physical fitness on academic achievement through executive functions. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and executive functions are associated with academic achievement and to examine whether the relationship between CRF and academic achievement is mediated by executive functions in schoolchildren.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study including 570 schoolchildren, aged 8 to 11 years, from Cuenca, Spain. Data were collected from September to October 2017. Sociodemographic variables, family socioeconomic status, pubertal status, academic achievement, CRF (20-meter shuttle run test) and executive functions (inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory, NIH Toolbox battery in Spanish, v 1.8; iPad Pro, Apple, Inc.) were measured.ResultsOverall, ANCOVA models controlling for age, gender and mother educational level showed higher scores in language and mathematics in children in higher categories of CRF, inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory than in children in lower categories. The effect sizes were moderate (p 0.05 in language; c′ = 0.103; IC = [-0.002;0.029] P > 0.05 in mathematics). Mediation ranged from 13.38% to 36%.ConclusionsChildren in higher categories of both CRF and executive function showed higher grades in mathematics and language. The findings indicated that a significant proportion of the positive influence of CRF on academic achievement was mediated by improvements in inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Thus, this study supports the hypothesis that improvements in CRF may contribute to increasing academic achievement not only through a direct mechanism but also through improvements in executive functions.

研究目的：既往已有研究通过执行功能（executive functions）探讨了体能对学业成绩的影响，但二者间关联的本质仍未明确。本研究旨在分析心肺适能（cardiorespiratory fitness, CRF）与执行功能分别与学龄儿童学业成绩的关联，并探究学龄儿童中CRF与学业成绩之间的关系是否由执行功能介导。
研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，纳入了来自西班牙昆卡市的570名8~11岁学龄儿童，数据采集时间为2017年9月至10月。本研究采集了社会人口学变量、家庭社会经济地位、青春期发育状态、学业成绩、心肺适能（20-meter shuttle run test，20米折返跑测试）以及执行功能（抑制控制、认知灵活性与工作记忆，西班牙语版NIH Toolbox battery，v1.8；测试设备为Apple, Inc. iPad Pro）相关数据。
研究结果：总体而言，控制年龄、性别与母亲教育水平的协方差分析（Analysis of Covariance, ANCOVA）模型结果显示，相较于CRF、抑制控制、认知灵活性及工作记忆水平较低的儿童，水平较高的儿童其语文与数学成绩均更优。效应量处于中等水平（语文相关P=0.05；c′=0.103，置信区间IC=[-0.002; 0.029]；数学相关P>0.05）。中介效应占比为13.38%~36%。
研究结论：同时具备较高CRF与执行功能水平的儿童，其数学与语文成绩更优异。本研究结果表明，CRF对学业成绩的积极影响中有相当一部分是通过抑制控制与认知灵活性的提升来介导的。综上，本研究支持以下假说：心肺适能的提升不仅可通过直接通路，还可通过改善执行功能来助力学龄儿童学业成绩的提升。