Abstract
Background: The increasing need to face the problem of sedentarism, especially in the COVID-19 era, induced teachers and researchers to find new intervention methodologies in school context. Active breaks (ABs) include brief periods of physical activity as a part of the curriculum. This study aimed to investigate the AB acute responses on attentive skills and mathematical performance and attention in a primary school. Methods: A total of 141 children (aged 9.61 ± 0.82), divided into six classes, participated in this study. Each class was randomly assigned to three groups on the basis of the type of protocol performed during the three ABs scheduled in a school day: fitness (FIT), creativity (CREAT), and control group (CON). At baseline and at the end of interventions, all participants underwent the Stroop Color and Word test (SCWT) and the math test (MATH) to assess the level of attention and mathematical performance, respectively. The degree of enjoyment was evaluated through the modified Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. Results: The factorial ANOVA showed significant differences between the FIT and CON in MATH test (p = 0.023) and SCWT (p = 0.034). CREAT and FIT groups showed higher degree of enjoyment than the CON (both ps < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed a positive acute impact of AB interventions. FIT positively influenced attentive and math performances more than the CREAT, probably due to the correct work/rest ratio and executive rhythm that allowed children to reach a good level of exertion. This report showed that ABs can be a useful and productive activity to be performed between curricular lessons.
Highlights
Nowadays, in primary schools, the time allocated for physical activity (PA) has been considerably lowered in favor of additional seated time for other academic tasks [1].Considering the amount of time spent by children at school, school itself could be an ideal environment for promoting active lifestyles and reducing sedentary time
This study aimed to find out the immediate influence of different types of Active breaks (ABs), repeated three times in the same school day, on attentive skills and mathematical performance
The cardiovascular approach provides the highest results in term of short-term efficacy; the better time on/off of the cardiovascular protocol may have allowed the proper exercise volume
Summary
Considering the amount of time spent by children at school, school itself could be an ideal environment for promoting active lifestyles and reducing sedentary time. In this manner, the schools can guarantee these benefits to children, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status [2]. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its access restrictions to public recreational spaces and sportive areas, limited the possibility to keep children active. A great number of children worldwide spent their daily activity at home with little access to structured activities, leaving schools to be the last bastion where PA is achievable. Due to lockdown, leads to adverse effects on children, such as mental swings, depression, and an impairment of the general health [3]
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