Study shows exercising more can boost cognitive skills in children, but how accessible is it?

Children stand to benefit from more physical activity, but barriers make it harder for those who are disabled and disadvantaged, reports Kate Ng

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The link between physical exercise and better mental health has long been proven by science, with workouts found to sharpen memory, improve thinking skills and one’s overall wellbeing.

Now, a new study has found that children stand to benefit mentally from increased exercise too, suggesting that cognitive skills could be improved by being more active.

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that children who are fitter perform better than their peers in cognitive tasks on average, showing better response times in tasks.

The study involved 104 pupils from eight primary schools across the UK, aged nine to 11 years old. In order to examine how exercise affected the children’s mental processes, the students ran or jogged at their own pace around the playground or sports pitch before undertaking a series of visual, reading and memory tasks.

They attempted the cognitive tasks immediately after the exercise, and then again after a 45-minute rest.

The scientists found that while exercise did not improve cognition overall, the students showed improvement in executive function immediately after exercise. Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.

Those who ran the furthest during the fitness test showed better cognition compared to peers who did not run as far, completing tasks on average five to 10 per cent faster and just as accurately, according to the study.

Our work shows the importance of regular opportunities for physical activity in schools, not just for health and wellbeing but also cognition and academic achievement

Dr Simon Cooper, Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology

Lead researcher Dr Simon Cooper, associate professor in exercise, cognition and health in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology, said: “A consistent finding of our work was that the children who were able to run the furthest during the multi-stage fitness test displayed superior cognition to their counterparts.

“Our work shows the importance of regular opportunities for physical activity in schools, not just for health and wellbeing but also cognition and academic achievement.”

The study comes after a survey by Sport England published earlier this year revealed that less than half of children and young people are physically active for at least an hour a day.

The NHS recommends that children and young people aged five to 18 years old should aim to do an average of at least 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity a day. These include activities such as walking to school and playground activities.

But children’s activity levels fell due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with lockdown forcing schools to close and restricting access to outdoor spaces such as parks. Suddenly, children found themselves stripped of opportunities to play and exercise freely.

Following the survey, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee released a report warning that the fall in the number of children being active enough in the last year was “of significant concern” and called for a new campaign to encourage children to be active.

But it isn’t as simple as letting kids loose in an open field. As the committee points out in its report, there are access barriers that hinder children from pursuing physical activity that must be addressed.

Julian Knight, chair of the committee, described the government’s delay in supporting schemes such as the Community Ownership Fund as “disappointing and unhelpful”, as such funding models would help grassroots sports clubs reach more children. But the pandemic has left such clubs at serious risk of closing without further support.

“Community sports clubs nurture Olympic medallists and bring joy to people young and old, we cannot let them go to the wall,” said Knight.

“Today we’ve made recommendations to the government on how to better protect the spaces we exercise in and put grassroots sport on a more sustainable financial footing.”

Community sports clubs nurture Olympic medallists and bring joy to people young and old, we cannot let them go to the wall

Julian King, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Children with disabilities or from deprived backgrounds are further excluded from accessing sports, due to a lack of accessible facilities. According to charity Access Sport, only 18 per cent of disabled people regularly engage in sport despite 70 per cent wanting to.

The charity, which focuses on developing community sports clubs to serve disadvantaged children, said that between 2020 and 2021, it helped 5,264 disabled and deprived young people access community sports through 135 clubs.

According to Access Sports’ impact report, 22 per cent of the young people who benefited from access to community sports were previously inactive and 36 per cent live in the top 20 per cent most deprived communities in the UK.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, told The Independent: “This research provides further evidence that active children are healthier, happier and have greater confidence and social skills – setting them up for life. Too many children do not have the opportunities to enjoy sport and physical activity in a safe and friendly environment outside of school hours, and these inequalities are growing.

“Every child must be given the opportunity to enjoy physical activity in their daily lives, and this starts with supporting activity providers in every community to work with local authorities and facilities to deliver fun and accessible options for young people.

“We need long-term funding and support for local communities to work with delivery providers and leisure operators, ensuring low-cost activities are available in leisure centres and parks, which will help to create more safe spaces. It is also essential that the government commits to long-term funding for the PE School Sport Premium and Holiday Activities and Food Fund.”