Testing the association between physical activity and executive function skills in early childhood

Abstract

This study examined the cross-sectional association between multiple aspects of objectively measured physical activity (sedentary, light, moderate to vigorous) and children's executive function skills. Participants included 85 children, ages 3–5, who were recruited from 10 center-based preschools. On the basis of up to 5 weekdays of accelerometer data, children spent an average of 57.5% of their time in a sedentary state, 30.7% in light physical activity, and 11.8% in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Whereas individual differences in sedentary behavior and light physical activity were unrelated to executive function, contrary to study hypotheses, moderate to vigorous physical activity was inversely related to performance on executive function tasks (β = −.28, 95% CI = −.50 to −.06). Results are discussed with respect to the importance of extending evidence that links increased physical activity to executive function skills, which are based on studies involving older children and adults, to the early childhood period, as well as the design and measurement issues that should inform this work.