Aerobic Fitness, Executive Function, Physical Activity
Conditions
Keywords
Behavioral, Physical activity, Intervention, School children
Brief summary
This study seeks to explore whether increased physical activity in school affects children's executive function, aerobic Fitness and childrens self-regulation. The Active school study was a 10-month randomized controlled trial. The sample included 449 children (10-11 years old) in five intervention and four control schools. The weekly interventions were 2×45 minutes physically active academic lessons, 5×10 minutes physically active breaks, and 5×10 minutes physically active homework. Aerobic fitness was measured using a 10-minute interval running test. Executive function was tested using four cognitive tests (Stroop, verbal fluency, digit span, and Trail Making). A composite score for executive function was computed and used in analyses. Self-regulation was measured by the Child Behavior Rating Scale.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPhysical activity
The Active school study was a 10-month randomized controlled trial.The weekly interventions were 2×45 minutes physically active academic lessons, 5×10 minutes physically active breaks, and 5×10 minutes physically active homework.
Sponsors
Municipality of Stavanger
Rogaland County Council
Regional Research Fund, Norway
University of Stavanger
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
8 Years to 11 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* all children attending 5th grade at the included schools in Stavanger, Norway during the school-year 2014/2015.
Exclusion criteria
* not able to participate in daily physical activity and physical education and complete the cognitive tests.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inhibition | 8 months intervention | Response inhibition was measured by Stroop Golden color-word test. Participants were naming the printed color of color words while suppressing the reading of the words. The measure was the number of words read in 45 Seconds. |
| Working memory | 8 months intervention | Working memory was tested by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-IV-test, a forward and backward digit span, a test that measures working memory function. The measure was the length of the correct series of numbers repeated by the participant. was included |
| Cognitive flexibility | 8 months intervention | Cognitive flexibility was tested by two tests. First the participants were asked to list all the animals they could think of in 60 seconds as fast as they could.The number of animals was the score. Second, participants performed the Trail Making test. This involves drawing a line connecting consecutive numbers from 1 to 25 as fast as possible. Then participants were drawing a similar line, connecting alternating numbers and letters in sequence, example: 1-A-2-B. Time to complete each trail was recorded. |
| Aerobic fitness | 8 months intervention | Aerobic fitness was assessed by a 10-minute interval running test. The children ran back and forth between two lines placed 20 m apart, touching the ground behind the line with their hand every time they reversed direction. After 15 seconds, a teacher signaled stop and the children rested for 15 seconds before they once more ran for 15 seconds. This procedure lasted 10 minutes, and the running distance was the outcome measure. |
| Physical activity | 8 months intervention | Physical activity was measured using accelerometry (ActiGraph GT1M/GT3X/GT3X+, LLC, Pensacola, Florida, USA). The children were asked to wear the accelerometer on the right hip for seven consecutive days, removing it only during water-based activities (e.g., swimming) and while sleeping. Data were considered valid if a child had at least two days with a wear time of ≥480 min/day accumulated between 06:00 and 24:00. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-regulation | 8 months intervention | Self-regulation was measured by the Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS). This is a teacher rating based on the Bronson Social Task and Skill Profile, designed to assess children's classroom goal-oriented behaviors and strategies used to regulate behavior in academic and social situations. The teacher report consisted of 10 items used to assess children's self-regulation in the classroom. |
Outcome results
None listed