TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between physical fitness components and fluid intelligence according to body mass index in schoolchildren
AU - Fochesatto, Camila Felin
AU - Gaya, Adroaldo Cezar Araujo
AU - Cristi-Montero, Carlos
AU - Brand, Caroline
AU - Dias, Arieli Fernandes
AU - Ruschel Bandeira, Denise
AU - Marasca, Aline Riboli
AU - Gaya, Anelise Reis
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Physical fitness is considered a protective factor for children’s general health and has been related to enhanced cognitive functioning. However, it appears that cognition could be affected in children with overweight or obesity. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between physical fitness components and fluid intelligence in normal-weight and overweight/obese children. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 317 schoolchildren participated (165 boys, 52.05%), aged between six and 11 years old (1st to 5th grade), belonging to a public school in the south of Brazil. Psychologists evaluated fluid intelligence through the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrix Test. The physical fitness evaluation followed the procedures of the “Brazil Sports Project”. Weight and height were measured to determine body mass index and generalized linear regression analyses were used with a 95% confidence interval. Our results showed that agility was inversely associated with fluid intelligence only in the overweight/obese group (β = −1.506; p = 0.01). Cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness were not associated with fluid intelligence. In conclusion, agility was the only physical fitness component related to fluid intelligence, and this relationship was found exclusively in overweight/obese schoolchildren.
AB - Physical fitness is considered a protective factor for children’s general health and has been related to enhanced cognitive functioning. However, it appears that cognition could be affected in children with overweight or obesity. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between physical fitness components and fluid intelligence in normal-weight and overweight/obese children. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 317 schoolchildren participated (165 boys, 52.05%), aged between six and 11 years old (1st to 5th grade), belonging to a public school in the south of Brazil. Psychologists evaluated fluid intelligence through the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrix Test. The physical fitness evaluation followed the procedures of the “Brazil Sports Project”. Weight and height were measured to determine body mass index and generalized linear regression analyses were used with a 95% confidence interval. Our results showed that agility was inversely associated with fluid intelligence only in the overweight/obese group (β = −1.506; p = 0.01). Cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness were not associated with fluid intelligence. In conclusion, agility was the only physical fitness component related to fluid intelligence, and this relationship was found exclusively in overweight/obese schoolchildren.
KW - Cognition
KW - obesity
KW - physical fitness
KW - students
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106699974&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/21622965.2021.1924718
DO - 10.1080/21622965.2021.1924718
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106699974
SN - 2162-2965
VL - 11
SP - 640
EP - 646
JO - Applied Neuropsychology: Child
JF - Applied Neuropsychology: Child
IS - 4
ER -
