Effects of acute bouts of physical activity on children's attention: a systematic review of the literature

Huub M Toussaint,Evert ALM Verhagen,Mirka Janssen,Willem van Mechelen

doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-410

Abstract

The aim of this review was to describe the effects of acute bouts of physical activity on attention levels of children. A systematic review was performed of English studies from searches in PubMed, Sportdiscus and PsycINFO from 1990 to (May) 2014 according to the PRISMA statement. Only prospective studies of children aged 4-18 years old were included, detailing acute effects of physical activity bouts with the primary outcome attention.One reviewer extracted data on the study characteristics. Two reviewers conducted the methodological quality assessment independently using a criteria checklist, which was based on the Downs and Black checklist for non-randomised studies.Overall the evidence is thin and inconclusive. The methodological differences in study sample (size and age), study design and measurement of attention make it difficult to compare results.There is weak evidence for the effect of acute bouts of physical activity on attention. More experimental studies with a comparable methodology, especially in the school setting, are needed to strengthen this evidence.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-410) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Schools have been recognised as key settings for promoting physical activity (PA) in children, because children spend a large part of their regular days in school (Biddle et al 1998)
We focused on one outcome measure, the methodological differences in study sample, study design, and measurement of attention make it difficult to compare results
The few studies that have been conducted within a school setting are less comparable, due to differences in methodology

Summary

Introduction

Schools have been recognised as key settings for promoting physical activity (PA) in children, because children spend a large part of their regular days in school (Biddle et al 1998). Schools are frequently requested to implement different physical activity programs. Schools have the primary priority to improve cognition and are under pressure to improve academic scores. This often results in additional time for cognitive learning and less time for physical education classes or recess (Center for Education Policy, 2007). Ahamed et al (2007) concluded that decreasing time spent in PA does not improve academic performance. A recent review concluded strong evidence for a significant positive relationship between PA and academic performance (Singh et al 2012)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion