The relationship between extracurricular physical activities, mental health, cognitive ability, and academic performance: A longitudinal association study of children and adolescents with obesity in China

Purpose: Exploring the effects of extracurricular sports activities on the academic performance of adolescents with obesity and their psychological and cognitive mechanisms. Patients and Methods: The study included 221 adolescents with a BMI ≥ 24, with a mean age at baseline period of 14.67±1.33 years and a follow-up period of 15.44±1.29 years. Through two waves of surveys separated by a year, extracurricular sports activity time, mental health, cognitive ability, and academic performance were measured, and the chain-mediating effect was tested using a structural equation model. Results : (1) Baseline extracurricular sports activities can significantly positively predict academic performance after one year; (2) Mental health did not have a significant mediating effect between extracurricular sports activities and academic performance, but cognitive ability has a significant mediating effect between extracurricular sports activities and academic performance. (3) The chain mediating effect was significant, and there was an action path of "extracurricular sports activities→ mental health→ cognitive ability→ academic performance." Conclusion: Implementing a physical activity intervention grounded in psychological support and focused on cognitive development in adolescents with obesity may be more effective at improving their academic performance. Educational practitioners should consider psychological experiences and cognitive challenges when designing physical activity programs to achieve the comprehensive educational benefits of "physical and mental co-construction.”