Nutritional Status And Working Memory In Children: Physical Activity As A Mediator

Abstract

Working memory is a component of executive function that plays an important role in processing, using, and remembering information on a daily basis also known as an important predictor of future cognitive functions and school achievement.  Previous research found that nutritional status could not be the only factor that significantly correlated to working memory. Therefore, research that describes the role of physical activity as a mediator in both variables is needed. This research aims to investigate how physical activity becomes a mediator between nutritional status and working memory. This research was conducted on 79 children aged 10 – 12 years old. The instruments used were Digit Span Test, Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children and Body Mass Index Measurement. The Hayes’ PROCCESS mediation test was used to analyze the data. The result shows that physical activity mediates the relationship between nutritional status and working memory by 15% (0.1576; p <0.05; 95% CI [0.0394, 0.3365]). According to the findings of the research, physical activity was proven to play the role of a mediator in relation to nutritional status and working memory.

Keywords: Nutritional Status; Physical Activity; Working Memory