Evidence mapPaperPMID 40933151Full record

ArticleWorld journal of psychiatry2025

Effects of technology-enhanced physical activity on brain and mental health in youth: An umbrella review of meta-analyses.

Zi-Qi Wang, Si-Yu Hong, Zi-Xuan Jia, Yi Zhang, Sha-Sha Ma, Xian-Gui Bu, Wen-Jun Wang

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Article in World journal of psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zi-Qi WangGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China.
Si-Yu HongGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China.
Zi-Xuan JiaGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China.
Yi ZhangGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China.
Sha-Sha MaGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China.
Xian-Gui BuGraduate School of Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China. buxiangui@sdpei.edu.cn.
Wen-Jun WangDepartment of General Education, Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271016, Shandong Province, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysical activity (PA) is a key contributor to the neurocognitive and psychological development of children and adolescents. With the rapid integration of digital technologies in educational and recreational contexts, technology-enhanced PA (TEPA) interventions have emerged as promising tools for promoting mental and cognitive health. However, the effectiveness of various TEPA modalities-such as virtual reality (VR), mobile applications, and biofeedback systems-remains unclear. Prior findings are fragmented across systematic reviews with inconsistent methodologies. This umbrella review was conducted to synthesize current evidence and evaluate whether specific TEPA modalities yield differential benefits. We hypothesized that TEPA interventions with immersive and self-regulatory features provide greater enhancements in executive function (EF), cognitive function (CF), and mental health (MH) than passive or minimally interactive formats.

aimTo determine the effects of TEPA interventions and modality-specific characteristics on EF, CF, and MH outcomes in children and adolescents.

methodsAn umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, EBSCOhost, and Cochrane Library) were searched up to March 2025. Eligible reviews included participants aged ≤ 18 years, assessed TEPA interventions, and reported EF, CF, or MH outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2. Data synthesis was stratified by intervention modality, and heterogeneity was evaluated using the

resultsA total of 11 systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Interventions using VR (2/2), game-based formats (2/2), biofeedback (2/2), and multicomponent programs (1/1) showed consistent evidence of improvements in EF and MH (

conclusionTEPA significantly improves MH and selectively enhances executive and CF in youth. Immersive, interactive, and biofeedback-driven modalities are particularly effective.

Indexed as

Cognitive functionExecutive functionMental healthTechnology-enhanced physical activityUmbrella reviewYouth

Identifiers

PMID40933151
PMCPMC12417955

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.