Associations between fine and gross motor skills, aerobic fitness, cognition and academic performance in 7-8 years old Danish children

TY - ABST

T1 - Associations between fine and gross motor skills, aerobic fitness, cognition and academic performance in 7-8 years old Danish children

AU - Lind, Rune Rasmussen

AU - Beck, Mikkel Malling

AU - Geertsen, Svend Sparre

AU - Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

AU - Wienecke, Jacob

N1 - CURIS 2016 NEXS 245

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Purpose: The current literature is concentrated around the positive effects of aerobic fitness (AF) on performance in cognitive tests (CP) and academic performance (AP) (reviewed in Hillman 2008). However, motor skills (MS) are often overlooked in this equation, and studies evaluating both AF and MS and their relationship to CP and AP are presently lacking. Thus, the purpose of this baseline-association study was to investigate the relationship between MS, AF, CP and AP in children.Method: 166 1st grade children (72 girls, mean age 7.5 years +/-0.31) from the Copenhagen area had their AF, phonological working-memory capacity (PWM), spatial working-memory capacity (SWM), math performance (MP) and fine- and gross-motor skill (FMS & GMS) assessed. Results: Significant associations were found between FMS and MP (P < 0.003), FMS and SWM (P < 0.001) and FMS and PWM (P < 0.001). Likewise, a significant association was evident between GMS and MP (P < 0.001), and GMS and SWM (P < 0.001). Furthermore, significant associations were found between AF and SWM (P < 0.001) and AF and PWM (P < 0.001). Conclusion: We found significant associations between the children´s FMS, GMS, MP and CP. Further studies are needed to investigate possible causal mechanisms underlying the relations between these measures.

AB - Purpose: The current literature is concentrated around the positive effects of aerobic fitness (AF) on performance in cognitive tests (CP) and academic performance (AP) (reviewed in Hillman 2008). However, motor skills (MS) are often overlooked in this equation, and studies evaluating both AF and MS and their relationship to CP and AP are presently lacking. Thus, the purpose of this baseline-association study was to investigate the relationship between MS, AF, CP and AP in children.Method: 166 1st grade children (72 girls, mean age 7.5 years +/-0.31) from the Copenhagen area had their AF, phonological working-memory capacity (PWM), spatial working-memory capacity (SWM), math performance (MP) and fine- and gross-motor skill (FMS & GMS) assessed. Results: Significant associations were found between FMS and MP (P < 0.003), FMS and SWM (P < 0.001) and FMS and PWM (P < 0.001). Likewise, a significant association was evident between GMS and MP (P < 0.001), and GMS and SWM (P < 0.001). Furthermore, significant associations were found between AF and SWM (P < 0.001) and AF and PWM (P < 0.001). Conclusion: We found significant associations between the children´s FMS, GMS, MP and CP. Further studies are needed to investigate possible causal mechanisms underlying the relations between these measures.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - FENS 2016

Y2 - 2 July 2016 through 6 July 2016

ER -