Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland.
Department of Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6011, South Africa.
Nutrients. 2022 Jun 23;14(13):2609. doi: 10.3390/nu14132609.
Executive functions (EFs) are essential for optimal academic development. Appropriate nutrition and physical activity (PA) have been shown to facilitate optimal cognitive development. Therefore, this study examined whether a 12-week school-based PA and multi-micronutrient supplementation (MMNS) intervention would improve cognitive and academic performance. A cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted. Children from four schools located in a peri-urban area of South Africa were randomly assigned to (i) PA + MMNS, (ii) PA + placebo, (iii) MMNS or (iv) placebo. Information processing and inhibitory control were measured with a computerized Flanker task. End-of-year results provided insight into academic achievement. Anthropometric measures were used to determine nutritional status. Data were analyzed with linear mixed-models, adjusting for baseline scores, school classes and age; 932 children (458 girls (49.1%), (mean age) = 8.42 ± 1.94 years) completed baseline and post-intervention assessments. Cognitive performance improved among all four groups, with no significant group × time effects. For academic achievement, there was no significant interaction effect between the combined intervention group and placebo. We encourage future studies in this neglected area in order to determine the most optimal design of school-based nutrition and PA programs to enhance overall cognitive performance.
执行功能（EFs）对于最佳的学术发展至关重要。适当的营养和身体活动（PA）已被证明有助于最佳的认知发展。因此，本研究旨在探讨为期 12 周的基于学校的 PA 和多种微量营养素补充（MMNS）干预是否会提高认知和学业成绩。进行了一项整群随机对照试验（RCT）。来自南非一个城市周边地区的四所学校的儿童被随机分配到（i）PA + MMNS、（ii）PA + 安慰剂、（iii）MMNS 或（iv）安慰剂组。使用计算机化的 Flanker 任务测量信息处理和抑制控制能力。年终成绩提供了学术成就的见解。人体测量学指标用于确定营养状况。使用线性混合模型进行数据分析，调整基线分数、学校班级和年龄；932 名儿童（458 名女孩（49.1%），平均年龄= 8.42 ± 1.94 岁）完成了基线和干预后评估。所有四个组的认知表现都有所提高，没有显著的组×时间效应。对于学业成绩，联合干预组和安慰剂组之间没有显著的交互作用。我们鼓励在这一被忽视的领域进行未来的研究，以确定最优化的基于学校的营养和 PA 方案设计，以提高整体认知表现。
