Abstract

In recent decades, there has been growing global concern about alarming rates of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, insufficient levels of physical activity and fitness, and unhealthy eating habits among children and adolescents. At the same time, we have witnessed an increase in global poverty and socio-economic vulnera-bility. Understanding the intrinsic relationship between physical and cognitive health is crucial, and there is growing evidence of a significant link. However, over 80% of existing data is from high-income countries, which represent a negligible proportion of the world’s children. UNICEF projections indicate that by 2030, ap-proximately 63% of the world’s children and adolescents will live in low- and low-er-middle-income countries. This highlights a significant knowledge gap that the Cogni-Action project in Chile is helping to fill. In particular, Chile faces significant challenges, with a childhood overweight and obesity rate of 54%, the highest levels of sedentary behaviour, physical inactivity and sugar-sweetened soft drink con-sumption, and stagnating educational attainment. Wealth inequality is also high, with the top 10% of the population owning 77% of the wealth. Chile’s Cogni-Action project collected comprehensive data over three years (2017-2019) from 1,296 school children (10-14 years old) in the Valparaíso region. These data included 789 variables covering physical, psychosocial, cognitive and lifestyle factors, as well as neuroimaging variables. This article aims to contextualise and present this project on the basis of the papers published to date. As universities and research institutions around the world undertake similar endeavours, there is a need to share findings and methodologies to accelerate the development of knowledge that can inform public policy and shape the agendas of relevant institutions.