The effects of a moderate-to-high intensity interval exercise training programme on selective and sustained attention in schoolchildren aged 11 and 12
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14198/jhse.2023.181.17Keywords:
Cognition, Youth, Physical exercise, Physical activity, Physical education, Children, ExerciseAbstract
Physical activity has been shown to have positive benefits on many brain function indices. Nonetheless, evidence is scant regarding attention. This study therefore aimed to analyse the chronic effects of an interval physical exercise programme at moderate-to-high intensity on selective and sustained attention indicators amongst schoolchildren aged 11 and 12 years old. They were part of a total sample of 56 schoolchildren split evenly between the experimental and control groups. The programme ran for seven weeks with 30-minute sessions three times per week. Interval games were performed with motor, cognitive and coordination challenges at 70-80% of maximum heart rate. Selective attention was recorded via a cancellation task (d2-Test) and sustained attention via a computer vigilance task (CSAT-II). The results showed no significant changes in any selective or sustained attention indicator. In short, the implemented programme did not show it generated chronic effects on selective or sustained attention. Future research is required to provide more evidence on physical activity programmes in schools that explore changes in selective and sustained attention.
Funding
Institute for Research and Innovation in Education (IRIE)Downloads
References
Alonso, J. (2017). Actividad Física y Neurociencia. In I Congreso Nacional de Eduación Física, Neuromotricidad y Aprendizaje. Guadalajara: Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional.
Altenburg, T. M., Chinapaw, M. J. M., & Singh, A. S. (2016). Effects of one versus two bouts of moderate intensity physical activity on selective attention during a school morning in Dutch primary schoolchildren: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(10), 820-824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.12.003
Alves, C. R., Tessaro, V. H., Teixeira, L. A., Murakava, K., Roschel, H., Gualano, B., & Takito, M. Y. (2014). Influence of acute high-intensity aerobic interval exercise bout on selective attention and short-term memory tasks. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 118(1), 63-72. https://doi.org/10.2466/22.06.PMS.118k10w4
Ballester, R., Huertas, F., Molina, E., & Sanabria, D. (2018). Sport participation and vigilance in children: Influence of different sport expertise. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 7(4), 497-504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2017.05.008
Ballester, R., Huertas, F., Yuste, F. J., Llorens, F., & Sanabria, D. (2015). The relationship between regular sports participation and vigilance in male and female adolescents. PLoS ONE, 10(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123898
Batlle, S. (2009). Evaluación de la Atención en la Infancia y la Adolescencia. Col·legi Oficial de Psicolegs de Catalunya, 13. Retrieved from http://www.paidopsiquiatria.cat/files/evaluacion_atencion.pdf
Bernabéu, E. (2017). La atención y la memoria como claves del proceso de aprendizaje. Aplicaciones para el entorno escolar. ReiDoCrea, 6(2), 16-23. Retrieved from http://www.ugr.es/~reidocrea/6-2-3.pdf
Brickenkamp, R. (2012). D2, Test de atención. Madrid: TEA Ediciones.
Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Vanhelst, J., Ruiz, J. R., Castillo-Gualda, R., Libuda, L., Labayen, I., … Ortega, F. B. (2017). Fitness and fatness in relation with attention capacity in European adolescents: The HELENA study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(4), 373-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2016.08.003
Castrén, E., & Hen, R. (2013). Neuronal plasticity and antidepressant actions. Trends in Neurosciences, 36(5), 259-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2012.12.010
Chaddock, L., Erickson, K. I., Prakash, R. S., Vanpatter, M., Voss, M. W., Pontifex, M. B., … Kramer, A. F. (2010). Basal Ganglia Volume Is Associated with Aerobic Fitness in Preadolescent Children. Developmental Neuroscience, 32, 249-256. https://doi.org/10.1159/000316648
Ciria, L., Perakakis, P., Luque-Casado, A., Morato, C., & Sanabria, D. (2017). The relationship between sustained attention and aerobic fitness in a group of young adults. PeerJ, 5, e3831. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3831
De Greeff, J. W., Bosker, R. J., Oosterlaan, J., Visscher, C., & Hartman, E. (2018). Effects of physical activity on executive functions, attention and academic performance in preadolescent children: a meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(5), 501-507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.09.595
Duncan, M., & Johnson, A. (2014). The effect of differing intensities of acute cycling on preadolescent academic achievement. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(3), 279-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2013.802372
Esteban-Cornejo, I., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Contreras-Rodriguez, O., Verdejo-Roman, J., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Migueles, J. H., … Ortega, F. B. (2017). A whole brain volumetric approach in overweight/obese children: Examining the association with different physical fitness components and academic performance. The ActiveBrains project. NeuroImage, 159, 346-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.011
Gall, S., Adams, L., Joubert, N., Ludyga, S., Müller, I., Nqweniso, S., … Gerber, M. (2018). Effect of a 20-week physical activity intervention on selective attention and academic performance in children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods: A cluster randomized control trial. PLoS ONE, 13(11), e0206908. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206908
Gallotta, M. C., Emerenziani, G. Pietro, Iazzoni, S., Meucci, M., Baldari, C., & Guidetti, L. (2015). Impacts of coordinative training on normal weight and overweight/obese children's attentional performance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9(577), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00577
Gallotta, M. C., Guidetti, L., Franciosi, E., Emerenzianl, G. Pietro, Bonavolontà, V., & Baldari, C. (2012). Effects of Varying Type of Exertion on Children's Attention Capacity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 44(3), 550-555. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182305552
García Sevilla, J. (1997). Psicología de la atención. Madrid: Síntesis Psicología.
Geertsen, S. S., Thomas, R., Larsen, M. N., Dahn, I. M., Andersen, J. N., Krause-Jensen, M., … Lundbye-Jensen, J. (2016). Motor skills and exercise capacity are associated with objective measures of cognitive functions and academic performance in preadolescent children. PLoS ONE, 11(8), e0161960. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161960
Gelabert, J., Muntaner-Mas, A., & Palou, P. (2020). Efectos de un programa de ejercicio interválico de intensidad moderada-vigorosa sobre la condición física y la composición corporal en escolares de 11 y 12 años. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 37(3), 514-523. https://doi.org/10.20960/nh.02894
Guillamón, A. R., Canto, E. G., & Martínez García, H. A. (2021). Ejercicio físico aeróbico y atención selectiva en escolares de educación primaria. Retos, 2041(39), 421-428. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i39.81060
Gunnell, K. E., Poitras, V. J., LeBlanc, A., Shibili, K., Barbeau, K., Hedayati, N., … Tremblay, M. S. (2019). Physicalactivity and brain structure, brain function, and cognitionin children and youth: A systematic review of randomizedcontrolled trials. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 16, 105-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2018.11.002
Hajar, M. S., Rizal, H., & Kuan, G. (2019). Effects of physical activity on sustained attention: a systematic review. Scientia Medica, 29(2), e32864. https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-6108.2019.2.32864
Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 9(1), 58-65. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2298
Holgado, B., & Alonso, L. (2015). Evaluación de un programa psicopedagógico para la mejora de la atención en estudiantes de educación Primaria. Revista Espanola de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 26(3), 26-44. https://doi.org/10.5944/reop.vol.26.num.3.2015.16399
Kolb, B., Muhammad, A., & Gibb, R. (2011). Searching for factors underlying cerebral plasticity in the normal and injured brain. Journal of Communication Disorders, 44, 503-514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2011.04.007
Kubesch, S., Walk, L., Spitzer, M., Kammer, T., Lainburg, A., Heim, R., & Hille, K. (2009). A 30-Minute Physical Education Program Improves Students' Executive Attention. Mind, Brain, and Education, 3(4), 235-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2009.01076.x
Lambrick, D., Stoner, L., Grigg, R., & Faulkner, J. (2016). Effects of continuous and intermittent exercise on executive function in children aged 8-10 years. Psychophysiology, 53(9), 1335-1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12688
Leon, B. (2008). Atención plena y rendimiento académico en estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria. European Journal of Education and Psychology, 1(3), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.30552/ejep.v1i3.11
Llorente, C., Oca, J., Solana, A., & Ortíz, T. (2012). Mejora de la atención y de áreas cerebrales asociadas en niños de edad escolar a través de un programa neurocognitivo. Segunda Época, 1(1), 47-59.
Luque-Casado, A., Perakakis, P., Hillman, C. H., Kao, S. C., Llorens, F., Guerra, P., & Sanabria, D. (2016). Differences in Sustained Attention Capacity as a Function of Aerobic Fitness. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 48(5), 887-895. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000857
Luque-Casado, A., Zabala, M., Morales, E., Mateo-March, M., & Sanabria, D. (2013). Cognitive Performance and Heart Rate Variability: The Influence of Fitness Level. PLoS ONE, 8(2), e56935. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056935
Ma, J. K., Le Mare, L., & Gurd, B. J. (2015). Four minutes of in-class high-intensity interval activity improves selective attention in 9- to 11-year olds. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 40(3), 238-244. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2014-0309
Manchola-González, J., Bagur-Calafat, C., & Girabent-Farrés, M. (2017). Fiabilidad de la versión española del cuestionario de actividad física PAQ-C. Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de La Actividad Física y El Deporte, 17, 139-152.
Monteoliva, J. M., Carrada, M., & Ison, M. S. (2017). Test de percepción de diferencias: Estudio normativo del desempeño atencional en escolares argentinos. Interdisciplinaria, 34(1), 39-56. https://doi.org/10.16888/interd.2017.34.1.3
Moreau, D., & Chou, E. (2019). The Acute Effect of High-Intensity Exercise on Executive Function: A Meta-Analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(5), 734-764. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619850568
Muntaner-Mas, A., Vidal-Conti, J., Salmon, J., & Palou-Sampol, P. (2020). Associations of heart rate measures during physical education with academic performance and executive function in children: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4307), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124307
Organización Internacional del Trabajo. (2008). Clasificación Internacional Uniforme de Ocupaciones. Ginebra.
Ortega, F. B., Campos, D., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Altmäe, S., Martínez-Zaldívar, C., Martín-Matillas, M., … Campoy, C. (2017). Physical fitness and shapes of subcortical brain structures in children. British Journal of Nutrition, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516001239
Pallini, S., Vecchio, G. M., Baiocco, R., Schneider, B. H., & Laghi, F. (2019). Student-Teacher Relationships and Attention Problems in School-Aged Children: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation. School Mental Health, 11(2), 309-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-9286-z
Pallotto, M., & Deprez, F. (2014). Regulation of adult neurogenesis by GABAergic transmission: signaling beyond GABA-receptors. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 8(166), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2014.00166
Pérez-Lobato, R., Reigal, R. E., & Hernandez-Mendo, A. (2016). Relaciones entre la práctica física, condición física y atención en una muestra adolescente. Revista De Psicologia Del Deporte, 25(1), 179-186.
Pontifex, M. B., Scudder, M. R., Drollette, E. S., & Hillman, C. H. (2012). Fit and Vigilant: The Relationship Between Poorer Aerobic Fitness and Failures in Sustained Attention During Preadolescence. Neuropsychology, 26(4), 407-413. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028795
Reigal, R., Moral-campillo, L., Juárez-Ruiz de Mier, R., Morillo-Baro, J., Morales-Sánchez, V., Pastrana, J., & Hernández-Mendo, A. (2020). Physical Fitness Level Is Related to Attention and Concentration in Adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(110), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00110
Rosa, A., Eliseo, G., & Carrillo, P. J. (2019). Relación entre capacidad aeróbica y el nivel de atención en escolares de primaria. Retos, 35, 36-41.
Servera, M., & Llabrés, J. (2004). CSAT Tarea de Atención Sostenida en la Infancia. Resumen Manual CSAT TEA.
Servera, M., & Llabrés, J. (2015). CSAT-R. Tarea de Atención Sostenida en la Infancia-Revisada. Madrid: TEA Ediciones.
Singh, A. S., Saliasi, E., Berg, V. van den, Uijtdewilligen, L., Groot, R. H. M. de, Jolles, J., … Chinapaw, M. J. M. (2019). Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents: a novel combination of a systematic review and recommendations from an expert panel. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53, 640-647. https://doi.org/10.1136/BJSPORTS-2017-098136
Stylianou, M., Kulinna, P. H., van der Mars, H., Mahar, M. T., Adams, M. A., & Amazeen, E. (2016). Before-school running/walking club: Effects on student on-task behavior. Preventive Medicine Reports, 3, 196-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.01.010
Szabo-Reed, A. N., Willis, E. A., Lee, J., Hillman, C. H., Washburn, R. A., & Donnelly, J. E. (2017). Impact of Three Years of Classroom Physical Activity Bouts on Time-on-Task Behavior. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 49(11), 2343-2350. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001346
Tamana, S. K., Ezeugwu, V., Chikuma, J., Lefebvre, D. L., Azad, M. B., Moraes, T. J., … Mandhane, P. J. (2019). Screen-time is associated with inattention problems in preschoolers: Results from the CHILD birth cohort study. PLoS ONE, 14(4), e0213995. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213995
Tomporowski, P. D., McCullick, B., Pendleton, D. M., & Pesce, C. (2015). Exercise and children's cognition: The role of exercise characteristics and a place for metacognition. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 4, 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2014.09.003
Towlson, C., Cobley, S., Parkin, G., & Lovell, R. (2018). When does the influence of maturation on anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics increase and subside? Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 28(8), 1946-1955. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13198
Van den Berg, V., Saliasi, E., De Groot, R. H., Chinapaw, M. J. M., & Singh, A. S. (2019). Improving Cognitive Performance of 9 - 12 Years Old Children: Just Dance? A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(174), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00174
van den Berg, V., Saliasi, E., de Groot, R. H. M., Jolles, J., Chinapaw, M., & Singh, A. (2016). Physical Activity in the School Setting: Cognitive Performance Is Not Affected by Three Different Types of Acute Exercise. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(723), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00723
Vanhelst, J., Béghin, L., Duhamel, A., Manios, Y., Molnar, D., De Henauw, S., … Gottrand, F. (2016). Physical Activity Is Associated with Attention Capacity in Adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 168, 126-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.09.029
Watts, A., Andrews, S. J., & Anstey, K. J. (2018). Sex Differences in the Impact of BDNF Genotype on the Longitudinal Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance. Gerontology, 64(4), 361-372. https://doi.org/10.1159/000486369
Wilson, A. N., Olds, T., Lushington, K., Petkov, J., & Dollman, J. (2016). The impact of 10-minute activity breaks outside the classroom on male students' on-task behaviour and sustained attention: A randomised crossover design. Acta Paediatrica, 105(4), e181-e188. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13323
Wirt, T., Schreiber, A., Kesztyus, D., & Steinacker, J. M. (2015). Early Life Cognitive Abilities and Body Weight: Cross-Sectional Study of the Association of Inhibitory Control, Cognitive Flexibility, and Sustained Attention with BMI Percentiles in Primary School Children. Journal of Obesity, 534651, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/534651
Downloads
Statistics
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2018 Journal of Human Sport and Exercise
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Each author warrants that his or her submission to the Work is original and that he or she has full power to enter into this agreement. Neither this Work nor a similar work has been published elsewhere in any language nor shall be submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration by JHSE. Each author also accepts that the JHSE will not be held legally responsible for any claims of compensation.
Authors wishing to include figures or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
Please include at the end of the acknowledgements a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the abovementioned requirements. The author(s) will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
This title is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
You are free to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Transfer of Copyright
In consideration of JHSE’s publication of the Work, the authors hereby transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership worldwide, in all languages, and in all forms of media now or hereafter known, including electronic media such as CD-ROM, Internet, and Intranet, to JHSE. If JHSE should decide for any reason not to publish an author’s submission to the Work, JHSE shall give prompt notice of its decision to the corresponding author, this agreement shall terminate, and neither the author nor JHSE shall be under any further liability or obligation.
Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article, except as disclosed on a separate attachment. All funding sources supporting the Work and all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors are acknowledged in a footnote in the Work.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the protocol for any investigation involving humans or animals and that all experimentation was conducted in conformity with ethical and humane principles of research.
Competing Interests
Biomedical journals typically require authors and reviewers to declare if they have any competing interests with regard to their research.
JHSE require authors to agree to Copyright Notice as part of the submission process.
