Graduate Institute of Sport Pedagogy, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Master's Program of Transition and Leisure Education for Individuals with Disabilities, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan.
Prog Brain Res. 2024;286:129-149. doi: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.11.003. Epub 2024 Feb 1.
Cardiovascular fitness (CRF) has been consistently linked to cognitive performance and academic achievement, and inhibitory control has been recognized as a key predictor of academic success. However, few studies have explored whether inhibitory control mediates the relationship between CRF and academic performance in children, and the existing findings are inconclusive because of certain limitations. This study investigated the mediating role of inhibitory control in the association between CRF and academic achievement among preadolescents while also addressing the related limitations. This study enrolled a total of 175 elementary school students (70 girls, mean age=11.17years, standard deviation=0.7), who participated in a half-mile test for assessing their CRF level. Additionally, inhibitory control was measured using the Stroop Color and Word Test (Stroop test), and language and mathematics tests were administered to measure their academic performance. The results revealed that the participants with higher CRF levels achieved superior performance in tasks requiring a high level of inhibitory control (r=0.291, P<0.001) and in Chinese language (r=-0.415, P<0.001) and mathematics (r=-0.366, P<0.001) tests even when gender, age, and body fat were considered. Furthermore, a mediation analysis revealed that inhibitory control, as measured through the incongruent trials of the Stroop test, partially mediated the relationship between CRF and academic performance (language: indirect effect=-0.013, 95% CI [-0.019, -0.008]; math: indirect effect=-0.013, 95% CI [-0.021, -0.009]). These findings have major implications for child development, emphasizing the key role of inhibitory control in the beneficial effects of CRF on academic achievement.
心血管健康（CRF）与认知表现和学业成绩一直密切相关，而抑制控制已被认为是学业成功的关键预测因素。然而，很少有研究探讨抑制控制是否在儿童的 CRF 和学业成绩之间的关系中起中介作用，并且由于某些局限性，现有的研究结果尚无定论。本研究调查了在青少年中，抑制控制在 CRF 与学业成绩之间的关系中是否起中介作用，同时也解决了相关的局限性。本研究共纳入了 175 名小学生（70 名女生，平均年龄=11.17 岁，标准差=0.7），他们参加了半英里测试以评估他们的 CRF 水平。此外，使用 Stroop 颜色和文字测试（Stroop 测试）来测量抑制控制，并且进行语言和数学测试来衡量他们的学业成绩。结果表明，CRF 水平较高的参与者在需要高水平抑制控制的任务中表现出色（r=0.291，P<0.001），并且在语文（r=-0.415，P<0.001）和数学（r=-0.366，P<0.001）测试中表现出色，即使考虑了性别、年龄和体脂。此外，中介分析表明，通过 Stroop 测试的不一致试验测量的抑制控制部分中介了 CRF 与学业成绩之间的关系（语文：间接效应=-0.013，95%CI [-0.019，-0.008]；数学：间接效应=-0.013，95%CI [-0.021，-0.009]）。这些发现对儿童发展具有重要意义，强调了抑制控制在 CRF 对学业成绩的有益影响中的关键作用。
