A Systematic Review and Evidence Gap Map Evaluation of Rhythmic and/or Complex Movement Interventions and Child...

Optimal child cognitive developmental outcomes occur when the environment provides opportunities for challenge, development, and structure. For some children, additional support is required, with many interventions including a rhythmic element (e.g. instrumental music or group singing), or complex coordinated physical movement (e.g. structured sport or physical activity classroom breaks), to support cognitive development. While many studies examine the impact of these interventions, and some existing reviews examine effectiveness in discrete topic areas, the field requires a comprehensive overview and consolidation of the extant evaluation literature to guide future meta-analyses and primary studies (including replications). This systematic review and Evidence Gap Map identifies and synthesises studies that evaluate interventions where rhythmic and/or complex coordinated physical components are explicitly included. A systematic search of 17 databases yielded 402 studies that evaluate the impact of these interventions on cognition (including executive function and memory) using a randomised, quasi-experimental, or single group design in children aged birth to 12 years. Findings suggest that there is high saturation in the literature for interventions that include complex coordinated movement (62.70% of total sample) and moderate representation of rhythmic interventions (21.80% of total sample). Interventions that included both complex coordinated movement and rhythmic elements, such as martial arts, dance, or gymnastics, were sparse (15.50% of total sample). Children in the early primary school years (ages six to ten years) are the most common target population, and executive function is the most commonly measured outcome. Findings identified gaps in the literature for further research and evaluation to include interventions that incorporate both a complex coordinated movement element and a rhythmic element; incorporate the use of more rigorous randomised controlled study designs when evaluating these interventions; and use of a broader range of measures to capture different aspects of cognitive functioning (e.g. memory). These findings should inform the development and focus of future intervention studies, which in due course will lead to systematic reviews and network meta-analysis.PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42021248436.