Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project

Carlos Cristi-Montero, Jessica Ibarra-Mora, Anelise Gaya, Jose Castro-Piñero, Patricio Solis-Urra, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Gerson Ferrari, Fernando Rodriguez-Rodriguez and Kabir P. Sadarangani
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Carlos Cristi-Montero: IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340025, Chile
Jessica Ibarra-Mora: Departamento de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago 7760197, Chile
Anelise Gaya: School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90040060, Brazil
Jose Castro-Piñero: GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, 11003 Puerto Real, Spain
Patricio Solis-Urra: PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Nicolas Aguilar-Farias: Department of Physical Education, Sports and Recreation, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
Gerson Ferrari: Escuela de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, el Deporte y la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170022, Chile
Fernando Rodriguez-Rodriguez: IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340025, Chile
Kabir P. Sadarangani: Carrera de Kinesiología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 7500912, Chile

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: The first aim was to compare differences between school vulnerability groups, fitness levels, and their combination in adolescent cognitive performance. The second aim was to determine the mediation role of fitness in the association between school vulnerability and cognitive performance. A total of 912 Chilean adolescents aged 10–14 years participated in this study. The school vulnerability index (SVI) assigned by the Chilean Government was categorized into high-, mid-, or low-SVI. Adolescents were classified as fit or unfit according to their global fitness z-score computed from their cardiorespiratory (CRF), muscular (MF), and speed/agility fitness (SAF) adjusted for age and sex. A global cognitive score was estimated through eight tasks based on a neurocognitive battery. Covariance and mediation analyses were performed, adjusted for sex, schools, body mass index, and peak high velocity. Independent analyses showed that the higher SVI, the lower the cognitive performance (F (6,905) = 18.5; p < 0.001). Conversely, fit adolescents presented a higher cognitive performance than their unfit peers (F (5,906) = 8.93; p < 0.001). The combined analysis found cognitive differences between fit and unfit adolescents in both the high- and mid-SVI levels (Cohen’s d = 0.32). No differences were found between fit participants belonging to higher SVI groups and unfit participants belonging to lower SVI groups. Mediation percentages of 9.0%, 5.6%, 7.1%, and 2.8% were observed for the global fitness score, CRF, MF, and SAF, respectively. The mediation effect was significant between low- with mid-high-SVI levels but not between mid- and high-SVI levels. These findings suggest that an adequate physical fitness level should be deemed a protective social factor associated with bridging the cognitive gap linked to school vulnerability in adolescents. This favourable influence seems to be most significant in adolescents belonging to a more adverse social background.

Keywords: cognition; children; physical activity; vulnerable populations; poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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