A new "systematic" review of previous research led by a Netherlands-based team has suggested that there may be a positive link between exercise and children's performance at school.

Amika Singh and colleagues from Amsterdam's Vrije Universiteit University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research are behind the latest findings.

The findings of the new review have been published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives publications.

Evidence from 14 studies carried out in the US, Canada and South Africa were reviewed as a result of concerns that efforts to boost test scores had led to less time for physical activity.

The sample sizes ranged from 53 to around 12,000 young people aged between six- and 18-years-old, with the follow up varying from between eight weeks to more than five years.

"According to the best-evidence synthesis, we found strong evidence of a significant positive relationship between physical activity and academic performance," the authors said.

"The findings of one high-quality intervention study and one high-quality observational study suggest that being more physically active is positively related to improved academic performance in children."

Details: www.ama-assn.org

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