Cardio, motor fitness appear to boost kids' academic performance

Date: Jun-24-2014There is no doubt that being physically active as one grows up is good for lifelong

mental and physical health. And evidence also suggests it is important for brain health and

academic performance. But exactly which components of kids' physical fitness contribute to

academic performance has not been clear until now; a new study by researchers in Spain looked at it in

more detail and found cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability may have the strongest

influence.

For the study, the Spanish team examined three aspects of physical fitness: cardiorespiratory

capacity, muscular strength and motor ability.

The researchers studied their separate and

combined influence on academic performance, as lead author Irene Esteban-Cornejo, of the Autonomous

University of Madrid, explains:

"Because these physical fitness components are highly associated with each other, it is

important to differentiate which physical fitness components are important in relation to academic

performance."

Study assessed three components of physical activity

Researchers found that cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability are linked to academic performance.

The researchers analyzed data from the UP & DOWN
Study, which followed 2,038 Spanish children aged from 6 to 18 years and collected complete data

on physical fitness, body composition and academic performance.

Cardiorespiratory capacity is a measure of how well the heart and lungs can supply fuel and

oxygen to the muscles during exercise. For this measure, the participants completed shuttle run or

"bleep" tests, a common method for assessing maximal aerobic fitness.

Motor ability includes speed of movement, agility and coordination, and for this study was

also assessed using shuttle runs, while muscular strength was measured by maximum handgrip and

standing long jumps.

To assess academic performance, the researchers used end-of-year school grades for core

subjects.

Cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability linked to academic performance

They found that cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability, both separately and together,

were linked to academic performance. However, the link between academic performance and physical

fitness was stronger for motor ability, suggesting that speed of movement, agility, and

coordination may be more important for academic performance than aerobic fitness.

The results also showed that children and adolescents who had both lower levels of

cardiorespiratory capacity and motor ability had lower grades.

Muscular strength on its own was not linked to academic performance.

The researchers say the findings suggest in a bid to improve children's grades, efforts should

be made to promote physical activity that encourages them to exercise aerobically and engage in

motor tasks that develop physical speed, agility and coordination.

There is also growing evidence that learning music improves the brain. For instance,

Medical News Today recently reported on a study that suggests musical training may improve executive

brain function in children and adults. The executive region of the brain is responsible for

decision making, problem solving, regulating behavior and other important cognitive functions.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.