The impact of an extracurricular outdoor physical activity program on long-term memory in adolescent during COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Francesca Latino University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0302-6145
  • Michele De Candia University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy
  • Milena Morano University of Chieti-Pescara "G. D'Annunzio", Italy
  • Roberto Carvutto University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/jhse.2021.16.Proc3.28

Keywords:

Exercise, Cognitive functioning, Physical education, Aerobic exercise

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of an 8-week extracurricular outdoor physical activity program aimed to improve long-term memory performance in adolescent concerning the Covid-19 period. Participants were 40 schoolchildren (aged 16-17) who trained twice a week in aerobic exercise two hours per session, randomly assigned to participate in either an extracurricular outdoor physical activity program (EG; n = 20) or a waitlist control group (CG; n = 20). At baseline and after training we administered the Verbal Paired Associates (VPA-I) a subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale – IV (WMS-IV, 2009), which represents one of the most widely used instruments for assessing explicit episodic memory performance. The results suggested that after 8-week aerobic exercise program students were able to increase their long-term memory, and that this capacity was more evident following physical activity that required greater cognitive involvement.

Funding

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this manuscript

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Published

2021-09-01

How to Cite

Latino, F., De Candia, M., Morano, M., & Carvutto, R. (2021). The impact of an extracurricular outdoor physical activity program on long-term memory in adolescent during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 16(3proc), S1114-S1125. https://doi.org/10.14198/jhse.2021.16.Proc3.28

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