Intelligence, Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
academic achievement, elementary school, physical activity, exercise
Brief summary
There is currently considerable interest in both improving academic achievement (No Child Left Behind) and reducing the rates of obesity and its associated negative health consequences in elementary school students. Increased physical activity (PA) offers a potential intervention to address both issues. Evidence is available which suggests an association of PA with both academic achievement and obesity, and an association between obesity and academic achievement. To provide increased PA while maintaining academic instruction time, we developed a program we call Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC) in which regular classroom teachers were trained to deliver academic lessons using moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 20 minutes/d, 5 days/wk. This study is looking to compare academic achievement between students in elementary schools that participate in academic lessons taught through MVPA (PAAC) to students that do not (CON).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALA+PAAC
academic lessons delivered by regular classroom teachers using moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 20 minutes/day, 5 days/week.
BEHAVIORALCON
lessons taught by regular classroom teachers using traditional/regular sedentary lessons
Sponsors
Joseph Donnelly
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
7 Years to 10 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Grade 2 or 3 Student at one of the randomly selected elementary schools * Students that agree to complete assessments * Signed parental consent form * Signed child assent form
Exclusion criteria
* Students that do not agree to complete assessments
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in Academic Achievement in Elementary Students | Baseline to 3 Years | Changes in academic achievement between students in elementary schools that participate in a program that delivers academic lessons taught through MVPA (A+PAAC) to students in elementary schools that do not receive academic lessons taught through MVPA (CON) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of Cognitive Function | Baseline to 3 Years | Changes in attentional control and academic achievement |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | Baseline to 3 Years | Change in the BMI over course of the study. |
| Cardiovascular (CV) Fitness and Daily Physical Activity (PA) | Baseline to 3 Years | Changes in CV Fitness and PA and its impact on cognitive control of attention and academic achievement |
| Change in Attention-to-Task | Baseline to 3 Years | — |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed