Acute Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance Among Elementary Schoolchildren

Abstract

OBJECTIVE As part of a larger project, the purpose of this study was to compare the physical activity (PA) intensity and cognitive effects of a single session of acute PA among elementary schoolchildren. METHODS Participants included 465 school-aged children (47% female, aged 7.9 ± 2.2 y) from 40 classrooms. Classes were randomized to treatment (high-intensity PA; n = 22) and control groups (low-intensity PA; n = 18). Children wore accelerometers during participation in PA in the classroom. Confirming fidelity of the treatment, children in the high-PA group (i.e., dance, running in place) accumulated (mean = 347.94; SD = 185.63) steps with a total of 38% of the time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). A randomized cluster design using pre/postassessments was used to measure cognitive performance in children. Cognitive tasks included (a) timed mathematics test, (b) Trail Making Test, and (c) a visual memory task. RESULTS Despite PA significantly differed between the high- and low-PA groups in steps (P < 0.001) and time in moderate to vigorous PA (P < 0.001), there were no observable significant differences in cognitive performance between the high- and low-PA groups for any of the cognitive tasks. CONCLUSION The volume of PA, and both duration and intensity were not high enough to produce an immediate cognitive response in children. Future research could explore the impact of task-relevant PA on cognitive function in children within the classroom, and the effect of high-intensity, short-duration PA over time.