Abstract
Active commuting to school (ACS) is an important source of physical activity among children. Recent research has focused on ACS and its benefits on cognition and academic achievement (AA), factors important for success in school. This review aims to synthesize literature on the relationship between ACS and cognition or AA among children and adolescents. Peer-reviewed articles in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library assessing ACS with cognition and/or AA among children, until February 2019, were selected. Twelve studies across nine countries (age range 4–18.5 years) were included. One study used accelerometers, whereas all others used self-report measures of ACS. A wide range of objective assessments of cognitive functioning and AA domains were used. Five among eight studies, and four among six found a positive relationship between ACS and cognitive or AA measure, respectively. Four studies found dose–response relationships, and some studies found sex differences. The quantitative analysis found that ACS was not significantly associated with mathematics score (odds ratio = 1.18; CI = 0.40, 3.48). Findings are discussed in terms of methodological issues, potential confounders, and the strength of the evidence. Future studies should conduct longitudinal studies and use objective measures of ACS to understand this relationship further.
Highlights
Physical activity is important for children’s overall physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development [1]
(18+ years of age); (2) Studies not measuring active travel but rather other types of physical activity, such as other types of leisure time physical activity (LTPA), physical education class, or occupational physical activity; (3) Studies that do not assess the association between active commuting and concerned outcomes; (4) Studies that do not differentiate between active commuting and other types of physical activity and/or other modes of commuting; (5) Cognitive outcomes related to mental health dysfunction, such as mild cognitive impairment and autism; (6) Non-English publication; (7) review or case study; and (8) Non-peer reviewed article
Studies were excluded at this stage if they focused on physical activities conducted after school or during recess, or targeted perceptions of safety when commuting to school
Summary
Physical activity is important for children’s overall physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development [1]. Research in recent decades has shown that engaging in physical activity improves cognitive performance and academic achievement in children and adolescents [2,3]. Improvement in academic achievement could be potentially a result of improvement in executive functioning, which is a set of higher-order functions underlying aspects such as memory, inhibition, planning, and scheduling [4]. The improvements in cognition may be partially due to structural and functional changes in the brain as a result of physical activity. Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is associated with an increase in executive functioning and associated brain structures and functions [5,6,7]. Specify any assessment of the risk of bias that may affect the cumulative evidence (e.g., publication bias, selective reporting within studies)
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