Relationship of aerobic fitness and motor skills with memory and attention in preschoolers (Ballabeina): A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

Tim Hartmann¹  Iris Niederer¹  Janine Gut²  Jérôme Barral³  Jardena J Puder⁴  Susi Kriemler⁵  Christian Schindler⁵ 

[1] Institute of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Basel, Birsstrasse 320b, 4052, Basel, Switzerland;Institute of Psychology Basel, University of Basel, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland;Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Bâtiments administratifs de Vidy, Route de Chavannes 33, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland;Service of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Lausanne, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland;Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland;

关键词: Motor Skill;    Preschool Child;    Dynamic Balance;    Aerobic Fitness;    Spatial Working Memory;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2431-11-34

 received in 2010-11-30, accepted in 2011-05-11,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe debate about a possible relationship between aerobic fitness and motor skills with cognitive development in children has recently re-emerged, because of the decrease in children's aerobic fitness and the concomitant pressure of schools to enhance cognitive performance. As the literature in young children is scarce, we examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship of aerobic fitness and motor skills with spatial working memory and attention in preschool children.MethodsData from 245 ethnically diverse preschool children (mean age: 5.2 (0.6) years, girls: 49.4%) analyzed at baseline and 9 months later. Assessments included aerobic fitness (20 m shuttle run) and motor skills with agility (obstacle course) and dynamic balance (balance beam). Cognitive parameters included spatial working memory (IDS) and attention (KHV-VK). All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, migration status, parental education, native language and linguistic region. Longitudinal analyses were additionally adjusted for the respective baseline value.ResultsIn the cross-sectional analysis, aerobic fitness was associated with better attention (r = 0.16, p = 0.03). A shorter time in the agility test was independently associated with a better performance both in working memory (r = -0.17, p = 0.01) and in attention (r = -0.20, p = 0.01). In the longitudinal analyses, baseline aerobic fitness was independently related to improvements in attention (r = 0.16, p = 0.03), while baseline dynamic balance was associated with improvements in working memory (r = 0.15, p = 0.04).ConclusionsIn young children, higher baseline aerobic fitness and motor skills were related to a better spatial working memory and/or attention at baseline, and to some extent also to their future improvements over the following 9 months.Trial Registrationclinicaltrials.gov NCT00674544

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Niederer et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011