The efficacy of mindful movement for improving cognitive functioning among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Mindful movement is considered a potentially effective approach for enhancing cognitive functioning among children and adolescents. However, the beneficial effects of mindful movement interventions on cognitive functioning have yet to be fully elucidated. In particular, no previous meta-analyses have comprehensively examined the effectiveness of different types of mindful movements on various cognitive domains or the potential factors that may promote or inhibit the impact of mindful movement interventions. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed to investigate the impact of mindful movement on specific cognitive functions, as well as to examine whether the timing of intervention (i.e., ages), participants' cognitive status and cultural background may influence its effectiveness. A total of 84 empirical studies involving 11,015 children and adolescents were included. The results indicated that mindful movement had significant effects on attention (g = 0.62), processing speed (g = 1.22), working memory (g = 0.28) and executive functioning (g = 0.57), with small to large effect sizes. Furthermore, age significantly and cultural background marginally moderated the effects of mindful movement on executive functioning, with greater benefits observed among older participants or among those from Eastern cultures. Duration of the intervention was a key facilitator of cognitive improvements. This study highlighted the efficacy of mindful movement interventions for enhancing cognitive functioning among children and adolescents, and the results provide important guidance for theoretical development and clinical practice.