Which One Is The Decisive Factor To Cognition Performance In Preschool Children Aged 3.5 To 4.5 Years Old, Aerobic Fitness Or Agility?

Abstract

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study was to compare the associations of aerobic fitness and agility with cognition performance in preschool children. METHODS: A total of 346 preschool children (age 3.5-5.5 yr old) with 201 boys and 145 girls were recruited from eight preschools in Yangpu, Shanghai, China. After enrolled in this study (Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT00674544), the young children were asked to perform a comprehensive package of tests including physical fitness and cognitive function. Children’s scores on the tests of 10-m Shuttle Run (time;this test can be used to determine speed and agility performance, and elite players will use less time than the subelite participants) and 20-m Shuttle Run (laps;this test can be used to determine aerobic fitness performance, and elite players will have more laps than the subelite participants), Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ), Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ), and Full Intelligence Quotient (FIQ) were assessed. Correlation coefficients were determined by conducting Pearson product-moment and Spearman’s rho analyses. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the associations of cognitive performance with aerobic fitness and agility in a sequential manner. Descriptive data were reported as mean±SD. Statistical significance was set at a p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, gender, BMI, physical activity, nutrition status, sleep habits, and education, a negative relationship (P < 0.001) was found between the change in the 10-m Shuttle Run Test (times) and the change in PIQ,VIQ and FIQ, whereas a positive association (P < 0.01) was observed between the change in the 20-m Shuttle Run Test and the change in PIQ, VIQ and FIQ. However, after the 10m and 20-m Shuttle Run Tests were mutually adjusted with covariates to control the confound variables, only the negative association still remained in the changes between the 10m Shuttle Run Test and PIQ,VIQ and FIQ (P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with aerobic fitness, a high level of the agility fitness may be associated more with a high cognition performance (performance of the PIQ, VIQ, and FIQ). Further research is needed to examine the effect of the aerobic and agility fitness related interventions on the cognitive parameters in this population.