Qi Fang, Jinmin Zhang
Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China.
School of Physical Education and Sport Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Jul 5;15:1421171. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1421171. eCollection 2024.
In individuals with high educational levels, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is often elevated, yet the causal direction and the role of cognitive performance in this association remain ambiguous. Herein, Mendel randomization (MR) was employed to measure the causal relationship between education, cognitive performance, and moderate to vigorous physical activity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the causal effects of educational attainment on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and to explore potential mediating factors.
Two-sample univariate MR analysis was conducted to assess the overall effect of education on moderate to severe physical activity. Besides, a two-step MR analysis was carried out to evaluate the mediating effect of cognitive performance on the impact of education on moderate to severe physical activity. Individuals included were exclusively of European ancestry, with data gathered from extensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on education ( = 470,941), cognitive performance ( = 257,841), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) ( = 377,234). Educational attainment was measured by college graduation status. Cognitive performance encompasses not only psycho-motor speed, memory, and abstract reasoning abilities but also knowledge and skills acquired in professional domains. MVPA is defined as any physical activity that produces a metabolic equivalent (MET) of ≥3.0.
The positive two-sample MR analysis showed that education level had a significant protective effect on MVPA deficiency (β = -0.276, 95% CI = -0.354 to -0.199, = 2.866 × 10). However, the reverse two-sample MR analysis showed that MVPA had no significant causal relationship with education level ( = 0.165). Subsequently, the two-step MR analysis indicated that the potential causal protective effect of education on the risk of MVPA deficiency was mostly mediated by cognitive performance (mediating effect β = -0.235, 95% CI = -0.434 to -0.036, and the intermediary ratio was 85.061%).
Cognitive performance holds considerable significance in the relationship between education level and MVPA. Consequently, the intervention of cognitive performance may greatly improve the risk of physical inactivity caused by education, thereby promoting individual health.
在高学历人群中，中度至剧烈身体活动（MVPA）水平往往较高，但这种关联中因果关系的方向以及认知表现的作用仍不明确。在此，采用孟德尔随机化（MR）方法来衡量教育、认知表现和中度至剧烈身体活动之间的因果关系。本研究旨在分析教育程度对中度至剧烈身体活动（MVPA）水平的因果效应，并探索潜在的中介因素。
进行两样本单变量MR分析以评估教育对中度至剧烈身体活动的总体影响。此外，开展两步MR分析以评估认知表现在教育对中度至剧烈身体活动影响中的中介作用。纳入的个体均为欧洲血统，数据来自关于教育（n = 470,941）、认知表现（n = 257,841）和中度至剧烈身体活动（MVPA）（n = 377,234）的大规模全基因组关联研究（GWAS）。教育程度通过大学毕业状况来衡量。认知表现不仅包括心理运动速度、记忆和抽象推理能力，还包括在专业领域获得的知识和技能。MVPA被定义为任何产生代谢当量（MET）≥3.0的身体活动。
正向两样本MR分析表明，教育水平对MVPA不足具有显著的保护作用（β = -0.276，95%CI = -0.354至-0.199，p = 2.866×10）。然而，反向两样本MR分析表明，MVPA与教育水平无显著因果关系（p = 0.165）。随后，两步MR分析表明，教育对MVPA不足风险的潜在因果保护作用主要由认知表现介导（中介效应β = -0.235，95%CI = -0.434至-0.036，中介比例为85.061%）。
认知表现在教育水平与MVPA的关系中具有重要意义。因此，对认知表现的干预可能会大大改善因教育导致的身体活动不足风险，从而促进个体健康。
