Physical activity and educational achievement: Dose–response relationships

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the dose–response relationship between physical activity and educational achievement. It discusses the relationship between learning and movement. Physical fitness is a set of characteristics related to health or skills, such as aerobic capacity or muscular strength. Brain functions can include the anatomy of specific brain structures, such as the size of the hippocampus, or electrical activity measured through electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine the activity of certain areas of the brain. Cognitive functions, or mental actions, are the result of the underlying brain functions and consist of several cognitive processes, including attention, memory and problem solving. The dose of physical activity is the amount of physical activity that a child receives. This is composed of the frequency, intensity, and time. Physical activity has long been considered an important part of overall mental health and intellectual capacity. The Athenians integrated physical education into society as a way to develop the mind through the physical.