The Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognition in Children: A Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively combine and examine the results of studies pertaining to physical activity and cognition in children. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were coded based on design and descriptive characteristics, subject characteristics, activity characteristics, and cognitive assessment method. Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated for each study and an overall ES and average ESs relative to moderator variables were then calculated. ESs (n = 125) from 44 studies were included in the analysis. The overall ES was 0.32 (SD = 0.27), which was significantly different from zero. Significant moderator variables included publication status, subject age, and type of cognitive assessment. As a result of this statistical review of the literature, it is concluded that there is a significant positive relationship between physical activity and cognitive functioning in children. Physical education is a field that advocates a holistic approach to human development. This approach emphasizes that the mind and body are one entity, and that anything that happens to one will affect the other. Physical educators therefore believe that the “whole child” comes to school to be educated and that this requires both mental and physical training. The relationship between physical activity and mental functioning is of particular interest in the school system because such a large portion of the school day is spent working in the cognitive domain. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were a great number of studies that explored the mind-body relationship. However, since that time there have been relatively few studies in this area (18). According to Kirkendall (18), studies in the 1950s and 1960s were likely conducted in an attempt to justify the presence of exercise and physical education (PE) in our schools. However, in the 1970s it became widely accepted that PE programs are needed for their physical benefits, and therefore, the need to justify these programs for their cognitive benefits no longer existed. It seems that the need to justify exercise and PE programs in the schools has returned. PE programs are being cut from our schools in favor of “core academic” subjects. According to the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000 (SHPPS 2000; 4), “the percentage of schools that require physical education in each grade declines from around 50% in grades 1 through 5, to 25% in grade 8, to only 5% in grade 12” (pp. 291-292). Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control and