How are academic achievement and inhibitory control associated with physical fitness, soil-transmitted helminth infections, food insecurity and stunting among South African primary schoolchildren?

Cardiovascular fitness has been associated with both executive function and academic achievement in multiple cohort studies including children and adolescents. However, research is scarce among children from low- and middle-income countries. Hence, this paper focuses on South African primary schoolc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2021-05, Vol.21 (1), p.852-852, Article 852
Main Authors: Gerber, Markus, Lang, Christin, Beckmann, Johanna, du Randt, Rosa, Gall, Stefanie, Seelig, Harald, Long, Kurt Z, Ludyga, Sebastian, Müller, Ivan, Nienaber, Madeleine, Nqweniso, Siphesihle, Pühse, Uwe, Steinmann, Peter, Utzinger, Jürg, Walter, Cheryl
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Adolescents
Age
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Children
Cognitive ability
Cognitive tasks
Data processing
Elementary school students
Executive function
Executive functions
Families & family life
Fitness
Food
Food insecurity
Food security
Girls
Grip strength
Health aspects
Households
Infections
Information processing
Informed consent
Parents & parenting
Physical fitness
Quality standards
Regression analysis
Regression models
School environment
Schools
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomics
Soil-transmitted helminths
Soils
Stunting
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Summary:Cardiovascular fitness has been associated with both executive function and academic achievement in multiple cohort studies including children and adolescents. However, research is scarce among children from low- and middle-income countries. Hence, this paper focuses on South African primary schoolchildren living in marginalized areas and examines if academic achievement and inhibitory control can be explained by children's age, socioeconomic status, soil-transmitted helminth infections, food insecurity, stunting, grip strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 1277 children (48% girls, mean age: 8.3 years). Data were assessed via questionnaires, stool samples, anthropometric measurements, 20 m shuttle run test, grip strength test, Flanker task, and school grades. Data were analysed with mixed linear regression models with random intercepts for school classes, separately for boys and girls. Higher socioeconomic status was most closely associated with academic achievement among boys (p 
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-021-10779-9