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Article

Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project

by
Carlos Cristi-Montero
1,*,
Jessica Ibarra-Mora
2,
Anelise Gaya
3,
Jose Castro-Piñero
4,5,
Patricio Solis-Urra
6,7,
Nicolas Aguilar-Farias
8,
Gerson Ferrari
9,
Fernando Rodriguez-Rodriguez
1 and
Kabir P. Sadarangani
10,11
1
IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340025, Chile
2
Departamento de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago 7760197, Chile
3
School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90040060, Brazil
4
GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, 11003 Puerto Real, Spain
5
Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (INiBICA) Research Unit, 11009 Cádiz, Spain
6
PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
7
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar 2531015, Chile
8
Department of Physical Education, Sports and Recreation, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
9
Escuela de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, el Deporte y la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170022, Chile
10
Carrera de Kinesiología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 7500912, Chile
11
Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud y Odontología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370057, Chile
 
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*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10073; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073
Submission received: 27 August 2021 / Revised: 22 September 2021 / Accepted: 23 September 2021 / Published: 25 September 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Fitness and Health Improvement)
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Abstract

The first aim was to compare differences between school vulnerability groups, fitness levels, and their combination in adolescent cognitive performance. The second aim was to determine the mediation role of fitness in the association between school vulnerability and cognitive performance. A total of 912 Chilean adolescents aged 10–14 years participated in this study. The school vulnerability index (SVI) assigned by the Chilean Government was categorized into high-, mid-, or low-SVI. Adolescents were classified as fit or unfit according to their global fitness z-score computed from their cardiorespiratory (CRF), muscular (MF), and speed/agility fitness (SAF) adjusted for age and sex. A global cognitive score was estimated through eight tasks based on a neurocognitive battery. Covariance and mediation analyses were performed, adjusted for sex, schools, body mass index, and peak high velocity. Independent analyses showed that the higher SVI, the lower the cognitive performance (F(6,905) = 18.5; p < 0.001). Conversely, fit adolescents presented a higher cognitive performance than their unfit peers (F(5,906) = 8.93; p < 0.001). The combined analysis found cognitive differences between fit and unfit adolescents in both the high- and mid-SVI levels (Cohen’s d = 0.32). No differences were found between fit participants belonging to higher SVI groups and unfit participants belonging to lower SVI groups. Mediation percentages of 9.0%, 5.6%, 7.1%, and 2.8% were observed for the global fitness score, CRF, MF, and SAF, respectively. The mediation effect was significant between low- with mid-high-SVI levels but not between mid- and high-SVI levels. These findings suggest that an adequate physical fitness level should be deemed a protective social factor associated with bridging the cognitive gap linked to school vulnerability in adolescents. This favourable influence seems to be most significant in adolescents belonging to a more adverse social background.
Keywords: cognition; children; physical activity; vulnerable populations; poverty cognition; children; physical activity; vulnerable populations; poverty

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MDPI and ACS Style

Cristi-Montero, C.; Ibarra-Mora, J.; Gaya, A.; Castro-Piñero, J.; Solis-Urra, P.; Aguilar-Farias, N.; Ferrari, G.; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, F.; Sadarangani, K.P. Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 10073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073

AMA Style

Cristi-Montero C, Ibarra-Mora J, Gaya A, Castro-Piñero J, Solis-Urra P, Aguilar-Farias N, Ferrari G, Rodriguez-Rodriguez F, Sadarangani KP. Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(19):10073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cristi-Montero, Carlos, Jessica Ibarra-Mora, Anelise Gaya, Jose Castro-Piñero, Patricio Solis-Urra, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Gerson Ferrari, Fernando Rodriguez-Rodriguez, and Kabir P. Sadarangani. 2021. "Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 19: 10073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073

APA Style

Cristi-Montero, C., Ibarra-Mora, J., Gaya, A., Castro-Piñero, J., Solis-Urra, P., Aguilar-Farias, N., Ferrari, G., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, F., & Sadarangani, K. P. (2021). Could Physical Fitness Be Considered as a Protective Social Factor Associated with Bridging the Cognitive Gap Related to School Vulnerability in Adolescents? The Cogni-Action Project. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910073

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