The role of physical activity and fitness for children’s wellbeing and academic achievement

It is well known that physiological, psychological, and cognitive factors contribute to children’s wellbeing and school success, but studies assessing these domains simultaneously are surprisingly rare. Visier-Alfonso et al. expand on our existing knowledge base and report different pathways to academic achievement for girls and boys. Specifically, girls with higher cardiorespiratory fitness had better psychological wellbeing, and this was associated with higher academic achievement. Boys were more academically successful if they had higher cognitive flexibility. Boys with higher cardiorespiratory fitness also had better psychological wellbeing. According to this current evidence, cardiorespiratory fitness has both direct and indirect beneficial effects beyond physical health on psychological wellbeing and academic achievement. Health practitioners, education professionals, and parents should focus on increasing opportunities for daily physical activities that will benefit children’s cardiorespiratory fitness.