Abstract
BackgroundMany studies have demonstrated positive effects of physical activity on children’s health such as improved cardiorespiratory function and decreased obesity. Physical activity has also been found to have positive effects on academic achievement and cognitive function. However, there are few high quality RCT studies on this topic at present and the findings remain controversial.MethodsThis protocol describes cluster randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of school-based exercise intervention among children in Mongolia. The intervention consists of 3-min sessions of high intensity interval training combined with music implemented two times a week at school during study periods. The participants are children in the fourth grade in public elementary schools in the Sukhbaatar district in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The participants are cluster randomized by school and allocated either to the intervention or control group. The primary outcome is academic achievement. Secondary outcomes are obesity/overweight, physical fitness function, lifestyle, mental health, and cognitive function.DiscussionThis cluster-RCT is designed and implemented to assess the effectiveness of exercise intervention on academic achievement, cognitive function, and physical and mental health among school-age children in Mongolia. This study will provide evidence to promote physical activities among children in low- and middle- income countries.Trial registrationUMIN: UMIN000031062. Registered on 1st February 2018.
Highlights
Many studies have demonstrated positive effects of physical activity on children’s health such as improved cardiorespiratory function and decreased obesity
Physical activity in childhood is crucial for the healthy development of musculoskeletal tissue, the cardiovascular system, neuromuscular awareness, and prevention of obesity and diabetes. [1, 3] recent studies have suggested that physical activity contributes to improving brain function and mental health. [4,5,6,7,8] Several ongoing studies are focusing on the positive effects of physical activity in broader areas such as academic achievement, cognitive function, mental health, and social skills. [3, 6, 9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
[21] Psychologically, exercise is thought to improve mood, lessen anxiety, and boost self-perception/self-esteem, all of which contribute to better academic achievement. [3, 11, 22] Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of exercise on academic achievement and cognitive function, but most were small randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and some were not intervention studies. [10, 16, 17, 23,24,25,26] To date there are very few, large, population-based Randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effect of exercise in children
Summary
Many studies have demonstrated positive effects of physical activity on children’s health such as improved cardiorespiratory function and decreased obesity. [4,5,6,7,8] Several ongoing studies are focusing on the positive effects of physical activity in broader areas such as academic achievement, cognitive function, mental health, and social skills. [3, 11, 22] Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of exercise on academic achievement and cognitive function, but most were small randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and some were not intervention studies. [8, 12, 27] A Cochrane systematic review recommended investigating academic achievement and brain function in obesity-prevention studies because only few RCT addressing these issue exist [28] and the current evidence is meager. High-quality RCT are needed especially in developing countries as most of the previous intervention studies were done in developed countries like the US, Canada, and Australia
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