Health promotion in youth is likely to benefit from enhancing academic achievement and physical activity. The present study examines how kindergarten childhood self-regulation skills and behaviors predict involvement in both structured and unstructured physical and nonphysical extracurricular activities in the fourth grade. As a second objective this study also investigated how kindergarten childhood participation in extracurricular activities predicts classroom engagement, reflective of self-regulation, by the fourth grade.
Design.
Secondary analyses were conducted using prospective-longitudinal data.
Setting.
The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, Quebec, Canada.
Subjects.
Participants were randomly selected at birth from a stratified sample of 2694 born in Québec, Canada, between 1997 and 1998. Participants were included if they had complete data on teacher ratings of child self-regulation as measured by classroom engagement and parent ratings of sports participation (n = 935).
Measures.
Teachers reported self-regulation skills in children through a measure of classroom engagement. Parents provided reports of child participation extracurricular activities.
Analysis.
Ordinary least-squares regressions were conducted.
Results.
A higher-frequency kindergarten involvement with structured physical activities was associated with fourth-grade classroom engagement (β = .061, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .017, .104). Better kindergarten classroom engagement predicted more frequent participation in fourth-grade structured physical activities (β = .799, 95% CI: .405, 1.192) and team sports (β = .408, 95% CI: .207, .608).
Conclusion.
Results suggest mutual relations between physical activity and self-regulation from kindergarten to grade four. This suggests strong learning skills indicative of self-regulation and opportunities to participate in supervised physical activities or sports teams may help children develop healthy dispositions and behaviors in emerging adolescence.
DuncanGJDowsettCJClaessensA. School readiness and later achievement. Dev Psychol. 2007;43:1428–1446.
2.
VitaroFBrendgenMLaroseSTremblayR. Kindergarten disruptive behaviors, protective factors, and educational achievement by early adulthood. J Educ Psychol. 2005;97:617–629.
3.
PaganiLVitaroFTremblayR. When predictions fail: The case of unexpected pathways toward high school dropout. J Soc Issues. 2008;64:175–194.
4.
EntwisleDRAlexanderKLOlsonLS. First grade and educational attainment by age 22: A new story. Am J Sociol. 2005;110:1458–1502.
5.
FreudenbergNRuglisJ. Reframing school dropout as a public health issue. Prev Chronic Dis.2007;4(4):A107.
6.
PaganiLAFitzpatrickCArchambaultIJanoszM. School readiness and later achievement: A French Canadian replication and extension. Dev Psychol. 2010;46:984–994.
7.
McWayneCCheungK. A picture of strength: Preschool competencies mediate the effects of early behavior problems on later academic and social adjustment for Head Start children. J Appl Dev Psychol. 2009;30:273–285.
8.
DuckworthASeligmanM. Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychol Sci.2005;16:939–944.
9.
DiamondABarnettWSThomasJMunroS. Preschool program improves cognitive control. Science. 2007;318:1387–1388.
10.
FredricksJBlumenfeldPParisA. School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Rev Educ Res.2004;74:59.
11.
BlairCRazzaRP. Relating effortful control, executive function, and false belief understanding to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child Dev.2007;78:647–663.
12.
BlairCDiamondA. Biological processes in prevention and intervention: The promotion of self-regulation as a means of preventing school failure. Dev Psychopathol. 2008;20:899–911.
13.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education; American Heart Association. 2006 Shape of the nation report: Status of physical education in the USA. Reston, Va: National Association for Sport and Physical Education; 2006.
14.
DiamondALeeK. Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science. 2011;333:959–964.
15.
BestJR. Effects of physical activity on children's executive function: Contributions of experimental research on aerobic exercise. Dev Rev.2010;30:331–551.
16.
TomporowskiPDDavisCLMillerPHNaglieriJA. Exercise and children's intelligence, cognition, and academic achievement. Educ Psychol Rev.2008;20:111–131.
17.
DwyerTSallisJBlizzardL. Relation of academic performance to physical activity and fitness in children. Pediatr Exerc Sci.2001;13:225–237.
18.
HillLWilliamsJHGAucottL. Exercising attention within the classroom. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2010;52:929–934.
19.
McMorrisTSprouleJTurnerAHaleBJ. Acute, intermediate intensity exercise, and speed and accuracy in working memory tasks: A meta-analytical comparison of effects. Physiol Behav. 2011;102:421–428.
20.
CastelliDHillmanCBuckSErwinH. Physical fitness and academic achievement in third- and fifth-grade students. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2007;29:239–252.
21.
EcclesJBarberBStoneMHuntJ. Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. J Soc Issues. 2003;59:865–889.
22.
WintersERPetosaRLCharltonTE. Using social cognitive theory to explain discretionary, “leisure-time” physical exercise among high school students. J Adolesc Health. 2003;32:436–442.
23.
PicheGFitzpatrickCPaganiLS. Kindergarten self-regulation as a predictor of body mass index and sports participation in fourth grade students. Mind Brain Educ.2012;6:19–26.
24.
DishmanRKSallisJFOrensteinDR. The determinants of physical activity and exercise. Public Health Rep.1985;100:158–171.
25.
FredricksJAEcclesJS. Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Dev Psychol. 2006;42:698–713.
26.
EcclesJSBarberBL. Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band what kind of extracurricular involvement matters?J Adolesc Res.1999;14:10–43.
27.
BartkoWTEcclesJS. Adolescent participation in structured and unstructured activities: A person-oriented analysis. J Youth Adolesc. 2003;32:233–241.
28.
PaganiLSFitzpatrickCParentS. Relating kindergarten attention to subsequent developmental pathways of classroom engagement in elementary school. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2012;40:715–725.
29.
FitzpatrickCPaganiLS. Task-oriented kindergarten behavior pays off in later childhood. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2013;34:94–101.
30.
PaganiLSFitzpatrickC. Children's school readiness: Implications for eliminating future disparities in health and education. Health Educ Behav. 2014;41:25–33.
31.
PaganiLSFitzpatrickCBarnettTADubowE. Prospective associations between early childhood television exposure and academic, psychosocial, and physical well-being by middle childhood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2010;164:425–431.
32.
PaganiLSFitzpatrickCJanoszMArchambaultI. School readiness and later achievement: A French Canadian replication and extension. Dev Psychol. 2010;46:984–994.
33.
TremblayRELoeberRGagnonC. Disruptive boys with stable and unstable high fighting behavior patterns during junior elementary school. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1991;19:285–300.
34.
EpsteinJ. Parents' reactions to teacher practices of parent involvement. Elementary School Journal. 1986;86:277–294.
35.
ChewAMorrisJ. Validation of the lollipop test: A diagnostic screening test of school readiness. Educ Psychol Meas. 1984;44:987.
36.
DuboisLGirardM. Early determinants of overweight at 4.5 years in a population-based longitudinal study. Int J Obes.2006;30:610–617.
37.
UlrichD. Test of Gross Motor Development. Austin, Tex: Pro-Ed; 2000.
38.
SchaferJ. Multiple imputation: A primer. Stat Methods Med Res.1999;8:3.
39.
GrahamJ. Missing data analysis: Making it work in the real world. Annu Rev Psychol. 2009;60:549–576.
40.
KristjánssonÁLSigfúsdóttirIDAllegranteJP. Health behavior and academic achievement among adolescents: The relative contribution of dietary habits, physical activity, body mass index, and self-esteem. Health Educ Behav. 2010;37:51–64.
41.
LabergeSBushPLChagnonM. Effects of a culturally tailored physical activity promotion program on selected self-regulation skills and attitudes in adolescents of an underserved, multiethnic milieu. Am J Health Promot. 2012;26:e105–e115.
42.
BanduraA. Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Educ Behav. 2004;31:143–164.
43.
AjzenI. The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process. 1991;50:179–211.
44.
MalinaRM. Physical activity and fitness: Pathways from childhood to adulthood. Am J Hum Biol.2001;13:162–172.
45.
Gordon-LarsenPNelsonMCPopkinBM. Longitudinal physical activity and sedentary behavior trends: Adolescence to adulthood. Am J Prev Med.2004;27:277–283.
46.
JanssenI. Health care costs of physical inactivity in Canadian adults. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012;37:803–806.
47.
MoffittTEArseneaultLBelskyD. A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2011;108:2693–2698.
48.
WyattSBWintersKPDubbertPM. Overweight and obesity: Prevalence, consequences, and causes of a growing public health problem. Am J Med Sci.2006;331:166–174.
49.
WangGDietzWH. Economic burden of obesity in youths aged 6 to 17 years: 1979–1999. Pediatrics. 2002;109:E81.
50.
LobsteinTBaurLUauyR. Obesity in children and young people: A crisis in public health. Obes Rev.2004;5(suppl 1):4–104.
51.
LillardAElse-QuestN. The early years: Evaluating Montessori education. Science. 2006;313:1893–1894.
52.
DurlakJAWeissbergRPPachanM. A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents. Am J Community Psychol. 2010;45:294–309.
53.
RepettiRLTaylorSESeemanTE. Risky families: Family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. Psychol Bull.2002;128:330–366.
54.
ZubrickSRWardKASilburnSR. Prevention of child behavior problems through universal implementation of a group behavioral family intervention. Prev Sci.2005;6:287–304.
