Children with stronger executive functioning skills may be better equipped to develop health-promoting behaviors that reduce their risk of chronic disease, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health.

Key takeaways include:

• Across all pediatric life stages, children with higher working memory consumed fewer sugary drinks and saturated fats.
• In middle childhood, greater cognitive flexibility and behavioral inhibition were linked to eating more fruits and vegetables. These skills were also associated with increased physical activity.
• In adolescence, higher scores in all executive functioning domains were linked to greater physical activity.

“The results of this study allow us to get more specific in how and when we intervene,” said ECHO Cohort investigator Nichole Kelly, PhD of the University of Oregon. “For example, targeting working memory as a specific domain of executive functions may be most fruitful in improving children’s dietary behaviors, particularly through early intervention, as the link between working memory and diet was evident in early childhood.”

The findings suggest that early interventions targeting executive functioning, particularly working memory, could improve dietary habits throughout childhood. However, the effects of executive functioning on health behaviors were small, indicating that additional strategies may be necessary to support families in fostering healthier lifestyles. Additionally, because this study looked at this association at only one point in time for each child, it isn’t clear whether executive functioning influences health behaviors or vice versa.

This collaborative research, titled “Children’s executive functioning and health behaviors across pediatric life stages and ecological contexts,” was published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.