Family Socioeconomic Status, Physical Fitness, and Executive Function Between the Fall and Spring of Pre-kindergarten

• In Event: The role of varying physical activity types and contexts for educational and behavioral outcomes

Abstract

A family’s socioeconomic status (SES) has a direct influence on a child’s early life experiences, and it is often these experiences that set the stage for the cognitive skills and health habits that are carried into adulthood. Extensive research has highlighted the influence of SES on early and long-term physical and cognitive health, suggesting children growing up in low SES families often experience poor developmental trajectories (Henriksson et al., 2020). Aerobic fitness is an index of cardiovascular health that is linked to higher executive function (EF), which is a set of cognitive skills which emerge in early childhood. Yet prior to school entry, it is not well understood how SES influences the trajectory of aerobic fitness or if aerobic fitness is linked to cognitive performance. To address this gap, this study examined if pre-kindergarten children growing up in low SES families had lower aerobic fitness in both the fall and spring of the pre-kindergarten year. We also examined if aerobic fitness predicts fall and spring EF, and if change in fall to spring fitness is linked to higher EF during the spring of the pre-kindergarten year.

The sample included 83 American pre-kindergarten children (45% boys) aged 35.86 to 62.20 months (M = 51.85, SD = 6.64), with a mean maternal education of 15.58 years (SD = 2.80) (see Table 1). In fall and spring of pre-kindergarten, aerobic fitness was measured with the twenty-meter shuttle run (Leger et al., 1988), and EF was measured using the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS; McClelland et al., 2014). Family SES was measured with a composite variable that comprised parent education, household income, and an indicator of public assistance.

Structural equation modeling was performed in Stata 15 (StataCorp, 2020) using maximum likelihood with missing values estimation and robust standard errors adjusted for classroom clustering. Child gender and age were included as covariates. Results showed aerobic fitness in the fall predicted aerobic fitness in the spring (β = .52, z = 6.10, p <.001). Likewise, fall EF predicted spring EF (β = .63, z = 7.24, p < .001). SES predicted aerobic fitness in both the fall (β = .18, z = 2.20, p = .028) and spring (β = .19, z = 2.07, p = .038), with change in spring aerobic fitness significantly associated with spring EF (β = .14, z = 2.63, p = .008) (see Figure 1).

Results suggest children from lower SES families show lower levels of aerobic fitness in both the fall and spring of pre-kindergarten. Fall to spring change in aerobic fitness is related to spring EF, with SES influencing spring EF through aerobic fitness. Together, results aid in understanding how family SES can influence a child’s early physical and cognitive health. Implications for policies and practice surrounding physical health and EF prior to school entry will be discussed.

Authors

• Derek Raymond Becker, Western Carolina University
  Presenting Author

• Alicia Miao, Oregon Early Learning Division
  Non-Presenting Author