Determinants of Cognitive Performance in Children and Adolescents: A Populational Longitudinal Study

Rodrigo Antunes Lima; Fernanda Cunha Soares; Mireille van Poppel; Saija Savinainen; Aino Mäntyselkä; Eero A Haapala; Timo Lakka

doi:10.3390/ijerph19158955

Determinants of Cognitive Performance in Children and Adolescents: A Populational Longitudinal Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 23;19(15):8955. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19158955.

Authors

Rodrigo Antunes Lima¹, Fernanda Cunha Soares², Mireille van Poppel³, Saija Savinainen^{4

5}, Aino Mäntyselkä⁵, Eero A Haapala^{4

6}, Timo Lakka^{4

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Research, Innovation and Teaching Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.
² Division of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
³ Institute of Sport Science, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria.
⁴ Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
⁶ Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland.
⁷ Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
⁸ Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, 70100 Kuopio, Finland.

Abstract

We evaluated the determinants of cognitive performance in children and adolescents. This is a longitudinal study, secondary analysis of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study. We assessed 502 children (51.6% girls) at middle childhood (range: 6.6 to 9.0 years), at late childhood, 437 children (51.0% girls, range: 8.8 to 11.2 years), and in 277 adolescents (54.5% girls, range: 15.0 to 17.4 years). Raven's progressive matrices tests estimated the participants' cognitive performance (outcome variable) at all time points. In total, we evaluated 29 factors from various dimensions (prenatal, neonatal, child fitness, lifestyle and anthropometrics). None of the neonatal and anthropometric parameters were associated with cognitive performance. Preeclampsia (prenatal) and listening to music, writing, arts and craft and watching TV (lifestyle) were negatively associated with cognitive performance. Shuttle run and box and block tests (fitness), and playing music, reading and time at the computer (lifestyle) were positive determinants of cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Fitness and lifestyle factors during childhood and adolescence diminished the importance of prenatal factors on cognitive performance and lifestyle factors were especially relevant in regard to cognitive performance. Reading was positively associated with cognitive performance, regardless of age and time dedicated, and should be promoted.

Keywords: adolescents; behaviour; children; cognition; development; health; lifestyle.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Cognition
Exercise*
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Intelligence Tests
Life Style*
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Physical Fitness

Grants and funding

The PANIC Study was financially supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland [award/grant number: N/A], Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland [award/grant number: N/A], Research Committee of the Kuopio University Hospital Catchment Area (State Research Funding [award/grant number: N/A]), Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra [award/grant number: N/A], Social Insurance Institution of Finland [award/grant number: N/A], Finnish Cultural Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Foundation for Paediatric Research [award/grant number: N/A], Diabetes Research Foundation in Finland [award/grant number: N/A], Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research [award/grant number: N/A], Juho Vainio Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Paavo Nurmi Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], and the city of Kuopio [award/grant number: N/A]. Moreover, the PhD students and postdoctoral researchers of The PANIC Study have been supported by Program for Clinical Research and Program for Health Sciences of Doctoral School of University of Eastern Finland [award/grant number: N/A], Finnish Doctoral Programs in Public Health [award/grant number: N/A], Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Paulo Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Aarne and Aili Turunen Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Finnish Medical Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Aino Eerola and Orion Trusts of Finnish Medical Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Finnish Medical Society Duodecim [award/grant number: N/A], the Foundation of Kuopio University Hospital for Scientific Research [award/grant number: N/A], Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Otto A. Malm Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Emil Aaltonen Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Helena Vuorenmies Foundation [award/grant number: N/A], Orion Research Foundation sr [award/grant number: N/A], Kuopio Naturalists’ Society [award/grant number: N/A], Olvi Foundation [award/grant number: N/A] and the city of Kuopio [award/grant number: N/A].