The Effect of Physical-Activity-Based Programs on School Children's Cognitive Competence-Related Variables: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Abstract

(1) Background: Aimed at improving school children's motor, social, emotional, and cognitive competence (CC), the effects of physical activity (PA) have been widely investigated. However, investigations into the effects of PA during Physical Education (PE) on children's CC have only been subject to growing interest among researchers in recent years. To bring it, the present article aims to systematically summarize the PE intervention programs whose effects on school children's CC have been evaluated through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. (2) Methods: This systematic review follows the PRISMA guidelines and has been registered in PROSPERO: CRD420251083924. A systematic literature search was conducted across four electronic databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ProQuest Central. The articles were included based on the following inclusion criteria: (i) primary education children, (ii) children practicing PE, (iii) outcomes related to CC, and (iv) articles providing evaluations through RCTs. The quality assessment of all included articles was performed using the PEDro scale. (3) Results: Out of 219 initially identified studies, 25 met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized qualitatively. (4) Conclusions: The main outcomes highlighted that PE has a positive effect on primary school children's cognitive ability, including attention, creativity, memory, academic performance, and inhibitory control. Thus, elementary school teachers are encouraged to implement these intervention programs to foster children's CC. However, different types of interventions should be analyzed to highlight their effects on different variables of CC.