A beneficial effect of physical activity on cognitive functioning is supposed, although to a certain extent, literature remains inconsistent. Furthermore, the mediating effect of aerobic fitness on this association remains unclear, especially in children. This review presents data from 26 articles on the relation between aerobic fitness and executive functions (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in prepubertal children (6–12 years). The qualitative synthesis was complicated by the use of diverse outcome measures to evaluate executive functions and the inconsistent inclusion of confounders. In general, cross‐sectional studies reported enhanced executive functioning in children with higher aerobic fitness levels. Only three intervention studies with inconclusive results were retrieved. Whereas a beneficial effect of aerobic fitness on executive functioning in children is often supposed, the available research does not allow to draw a causal conclusion. Good quality randomized‐controlled trials are necessary.

中文翻译：

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儿童有氧健身与执行功能之间的关系：系统综述

尽管在一定程度上文献仍然不一致，但人们认为体育活动对认知功能有有益作用。此外，有氧健身对这种关联的介导作用仍不清楚，尤其是在儿童中。这篇综述提供了来自26篇关于青春期前儿童（6至12岁）有氧健身与执行功能（即抑制，工作记忆和认知灵活性）之间关系的数据。定性综合由于使用不同的结果度量来评估执行功能和混杂因素的不一致而变得复杂。一般而言，横断面研究报告说，有氧健身水平较高的儿童执行功能增强。仅检索到三项干预研究，但结果尚无定论。尽管通常认为有氧健身对儿童执行功能有有益作用，但现有研究并未得出因果关系的结论。高质量的随机对照试验是必要的。