Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Cognition Children Physical activity Vulnerable populations Poverty
Fecha
2021-09-25Referencia bibliográfica
Cristi-Montero, C... [et al.]. Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 10073. [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073]
Patrocinador
National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research CONICYT/FONDECYT INICIACION (Chile) 11160703; National Research and Development Agency (ANID) from Chile 74200071Resumen
The first aim was to compare differences between school vulnerability groups, fitness levels,
and their combination in adolescent cognitive performance. The second aim was to determine the
mediation role of fitness in the association between school vulnerability and cognitive performance. A
total of 912 Chilean adolescents aged 10–14 years participated in this study. The school vulnerability
index (SVI) assigned by the Chilean Government was categorized into high-, mid-, or low-SVI.
Adolescents were classified as fit or unfit according to their global fitness z-score computed from their
cardiorespiratory (CRF), muscular (MF), and speed/agility fitness (SAF) adjusted for age and sex. A
global cognitive scorewas estimated through eight tasks based on a neurocognitive battery. Covariance
and mediation analyses were performed, adjusted for sex, schools, body mass index, and peak high
velocity. Independent analyses showed that the higher SVI, the lower the cognitive performance
(F(6,905) = 18.5; p < 0.001). Conversely, fit adolescents presented a higher cognitive performance than
their unfit peers (F(5,906) = 8.93; p < 0.001). The combined analysis found cognitive differences between
fit and unfit adolescents in both the high- and mid-SVI levels (Cohen’s d = 0.32). No differences
were found between fit participants belonging to higher SVI groups and unfit participants belonging
to lower SVI groups. Mediation percentages of 9.0%, 5.6%, 7.1%, and 2.8% were observed for the
global fitness score, CRF, MF, and SAF, respectively. The mediation effect was significant between lowwith
mid-high-SVI levels but not between mid- and high-SVI levels. These findings suggest that an
adequate physical fitness level should be deemed a protective social factor associated with bridging
the cognitive gap linked to school vulnerability in adolescents. This favourable influence seems to be
most significant in adolescents belonging to a more adverse social background.