Mwakalebela Fahad S, Minja Elihaika G, Mwalugelo Yohana A, Killel Erick, Rajab Rehema K, Mollel Getrud J, Mponzi Winifrida, Masanja Honorati, Okumu Fredros O, Lang Christin, Gerber Markus, Utzinger Jürg, Long Kurt Z, Kosia Efraim M, Elisaria Ester, Finda Marceline F
Department of Environment Health and Ecological Science, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Morogoro, Tanzania.
Department of Global Health and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Bio-Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 10;13:1552215. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1552215. eCollection 2025.
Physical activity is pivotal in promoting overall health and wellbeing, improving brain function and cognitive performance, and reducing risk of excessive weight and non-communicable diseases. Despite these benefits, physical inactivity among children and adolescents remains a global concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Only few studies have explored the association between physical activity, nutritional status, and cognitive performance in LMICs like Tanzania. This study assessed these associations among school children in a rural setting in southern Tanzania.
Physical activity was assessed using an actigraphy device that assessed 7-day average of physical activity among school children aged 6-13 years. Cognitive performance was assessed via the Flanker task, which assessed the executive domain of cognitive functions, specifically information processing and inhibitory control. Weight was determined using Tanita digital scale, and height was measured using measuring board. A multinomial logistic regression model and a gamma generalized linear model with a log link function were used to examine the association between physical activity, nutritional status, and cognitive performance.
Among 678 children who participated in the baseline assessment, 77.9% had normal weight, 14.3% were underweight, 5.5% were overweight, and 2.4% were obese. Most (92.6%) of the children engaged in at least 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as per WHO recommendations. Children who did not meet the recommended MVPA level were nearly three times more likely to be obese compared to those who did. No statistically significant associations were found between physical activity and cognitive performance, or between nutritional status and cognitive performance.
This study highlights a high prevalence of normal weight and adherence to WHO-recommended MVPA levels among school children in southern Tanzania. However, children not meeting MVPA criteria were more likely to be obese, indicating the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight. The lack of association between physical activity or nutritional status and cognitive performance, indicates that there may be additional factors that influence cognitive outcomes. Further research is needed to explore these interactions, particularly in rural LMIC settings.
身体活动对于促进整体健康和幸福、改善脑功能和认知表现以及降低超重和非传染性疾病风险至关重要。尽管有这些益处，但儿童和青少年身体活动不足仍是一个全球关注的问题，尤其是在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）。在坦桑尼亚等低收入和中等收入国家，只有少数研究探讨了身体活动、营养状况和认知表现之间的关联。本研究评估了坦桑尼亚南部农村地区学童中的这些关联。
使用活动记录仪评估身体活动，该设备评估6至13岁学童7天的平均身体活动情况。通过Flanker任务评估认知表现，该任务评估认知功能的执行领域，特别是信息处理和抑制控制。使用百利达数字秤测定体重，使用量板测量身高。采用多项逻辑回归模型和具有对数链接函数的伽马广义线性模型来检验身体活动、营养状况和认知表现之间的关联。
在参与基线评估的678名儿童中，77.9%体重正常，14.3%体重不足，5.5%超重，2.4%肥胖。根据世界卫生组织的建议，大多数（92.6%）儿童每天至少进行60分钟的中度至剧烈身体活动（MVPA）。未达到推荐MVPA水平的儿童肥胖的可能性是达到该水平儿童的近三倍。在身体活动与认知表现之间，或营养状况与认知表现之间，未发现具有统计学意义的关联。
本研究突出表明，坦桑尼亚南部学童中体重正常的比例较高，且遵守世界卫生组织推荐的MVPA水平。然而，未达到MVPA标准的儿童更有可能肥胖，这表明身体活动对于维持健康体重的重要性。身体活动或营养状况与认知表现之间缺乏关联，表明可能存在其他影响认知结果的因素。需要进一步研究来探索这些相互作用，特别是在低收入和中等收入国家的农村地区。
