Exercise Interventions and Intelligence in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis

Context: Mixed evidence exists on whether physical exercise interventions influence intelligence measures in children and adolescents.

Objective: To determine the effect of exercise interventions on intelligence in children and adolescents.

Data sources: Relevant articles were identified in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus (until February 22, 2024).

Study selection: Randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of exercise interventions on intelligence in youth (≤19 years).

Data extraction: A random-effects meta-analysis was performed for intelligence measures reported in ≥3 studies. Subanalyses examined the moderating effect of variables such as participants' intelligence quotient (IQ), age, or intervention duration.

Results: Fourteen randomized controlled trials (n = 3203 participants; age range = 5-14 years) were included. Exercise interventions significantly improved general intelligence compared with control groups (standardized mean difference = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.11-0.97, P = .01), which corresponded to a mean improvement in the IQ score of 4.0 points (95% CI = 1.44-6.64, P = .01). Significant benefits of exercise interventions were also observed for fluid intelligence (standard mean difference = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.06-0.34, P = .006). Crystallized intelligence could not be meta-analyzed because of a lack of studies. Subanalyses revealed similar benefits in participants with low/borderline versus normal IQ, children versus adolescents, and interventions with different durations.

Limitations: The heterogeneity observed in the characteristics of the exercise interventions and the populations included can be a potential confounding factor.

Conclusions: Exercise interventions are associated with improvements in intelligence (including both general and fluid intelligence) in youth.