Certain interventions may help children and adolescents who are overweight/obese with executive function and school achievement, according to a Cochrane review of 18 studies involving nearly 2,400 individuals. Among the specific findings:

• Compared with usual routine, school-based physical activity interventions can lead to small improvements in problem-solving skills (high-quality evidence).
• Physical activity interventions do not improve math and reading achievement (moderate-quality evidence) or uncontrolled behavioral responses (very-low-quality evidence).
• Changing knowledge about nutrition, as well as the food offered in schools, can lead to moderate improvements in general school achievement in teenagers who are obese (low-quality evidence).
• Replacing packed school lunch with a nutrient-rich diet plus nutrition education does not improve mathematics and reading achievement in children with obesity (low-quality evidence).