Team Sports and Executive Functions: A Comparative Observational Pilot Study

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the executive functional ability among participants regularly practicing and participating in four different sports, including Cricket, Volleyball, Kho-Kho, and Kabaddi, and the active control group.METHODS: This pilot study included 125 university youths aged 19-25 years. Twenty-five participants were selected for each of the four different sports disciplines, including Cricket, Volleyball, Kho-Kho, and Kabaddi, to meet the purpose of the study. Twenty-five active, healthy male participants served as the control group. Moreover, participants in the control group did not regularly engage in organized sports; however, they were all recreationally active and healthy. The Executive Functions (EFs) of all sampled participants were assessed using the Tower of London (TOL) and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT). Mean, standard deviation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey’s honest significant difference (HSD) post-hoc tests were used for data analysis and interpretation.RESULTS: One-way ANOVA demonstrated significant differences among groups in both tests; thus, the post-hoc Tukey’s HSD test was conducted, which gave pairwise comparisons between and within groups. Pairwise comparison of the TOL test indicated significantly higher EFs in Kabaddi players than those in the Volleyball (<i>p</i><.01), Kho-kho (<i>p</i><.05), and the control (<i>p</i><.001) groups; however, there was no significant difference between the Kabaddi and Cricket groups. The Cricket group demonstrated higher EFs than the control group (<i>p</i><.05). The pairwise comparison results of the SCWT test indicated significantly higher EFs in Volleyball (<i>p</i><.001) and Khokho (<i>p</i><.05) players than those in the control group.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that people involved in regular physical and team sports activities have higher EFs than nontrainer active control individuals.