Fit Kids: Improved Concentration and Quality of Life

The benefits of physical activity for children are numerous, and a new study confirms another benefit: those who are physically fit feel better and can concentrate better than their less active peers.

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich conducted a study on 3,285 girls and 3,248 boys in primary school and looked at physical strength and endurance, the ability to concentrate, and health-related quality of life. They found that the higher the level of the child’s physical fitness, the better they were able to concentrate and the better their health-related quality of life.

The overweight and obese children had significantly poorer results than underweight children and those with normal body weight. Obese children also had significantly poorer values for health-related quality of life, physical well-being, self-esteem, and well-being in friendships and at school.

The importance of encouraging motor development in children at an early age may also have a positive impact on mental fitness, and the researchers recommended collaboration among parents, schools, communities, and athletic clubs to help create a comprehensive and appropriate range of possibilities for physical fitness for children, and help motivate children to be more athletically active.

For information about how to make an impact on children's health, replay KnoWEwell's Building a Healthy Future for Our Children webinar here.