Amount and type of physical activity as predictors of growth in executive functions, attentional control, and social self‐control across 4 years of elementary school

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. Koepp ◽  
Elizabeth T. Gershoff
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Social Self

scholarly journals Enhancing Executive Functions Among Dutch Elementary School Children Using the Train Your Mind Program: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Bervoets ◽  
Lisa M Jonkman ◽  
Sandra Mulkens ◽  
Hein de Vries ◽  
Gerjo Kok
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
School Children ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Cluster Randomized

BACKGROUND Executive functions are higher cognitive control functions, which are essential to physical and psychological well-being, academic performance, and healthy social relationships. Executive functions can be trained, albeit without broad transfer, to this date. Broad transfer entails the translation of improved cognitive functions to daily life (behaviors). The intervention Train your Mind was designed to train executive functions among elementary school children aged 9 to 11 years, and obtain broad transfer in terms of enhanced physical activity, healthy eating, and socioemotional regulation. OBJECTIVE This paper aims to describe the cluster randomized trial to test the effectiveness of the Train your Mind intervention. METHODS Train your Mind was integrated into the existing school curriculum for 8 months (25 weeks excluding holidays). The effectiveness of the intervention was tested in a cluster randomized trial comprising 13 schools, 34 groups (school classes), and 800 children, using a battery of 6 computer tasks at pre- and postmeasurement. Each of the 3 core executive functions was measured by 2 tasks (Flanker and Go/No-Go; N-Back and Running Span; Attention Switching Task and Dots/Triangles). Moreover, we administered questionnaires that measure emotion-regulation, cognitive errors, physical activity, dietary habits, and the psycho-social determinants of diet and physical activity. Body mass index was also measured. Multilevel analyses will account for clustering at the school and group levels, and randomization took place at the school level. RESULTS Results are currently being analyzed. CONCLUSIONS The main purpose of this study is to test Train your Mind’s effectiveness in enhancing executive functions. Second, we investigate whether increased executive functions lead to improved physical activity and healthy eating. If found effective, executive function training could easily be integrated into school curricula everywhere, and as such, boost health, academic performance, and emotion-regulation of elementary school children, in a cost-effective manner. CLINICALTRIAL Netherlands Trial Register NTR5804; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5804 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6z9twosJ8) REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER RR1-10.2196/7908

scholarly journals Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity for Targeting Motor, Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Skills in the Preschool Classroom: The Move for Thought preK-K Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyridoula Vazou ◽  
Myrto F. Mavilidi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Emotional Skills ◽  
Preschool Classroom ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Motor Skill Competence

Despite the growing body of research indicating that integrated physical activity with learning benefits children both physically and cognitively, preschool curricula with integrated physical activities are scarce. The “Move for Thought (M4T) preK-K” program provides activities on fundamental motor skills that are integrated with academic concepts, executive function, and social-emotional skills in the preschool environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and effectiveness of the M4T preK-K program over an eight-week period in 16 preschool centers (N=273; Mage=4.22 SD=0.61) that were randomly assigned to the intervention (8 M4T; n=138; Mage=4.31 SD=0.61) and the control (8 traditional; n=135; Mage=4.13 SD=0.60) group. In both groups, teacher ratings of children’s attention, behavioral control, and social skills (i.e., cooperation, assertion, and self-control) in the classroom, as well as children’s perceived motor skill competence and executive functions, were collected before and after the intervention. A daily teacher log measured intervention fidelity and perceived experiences with the program. Results showed a significant improvement on attention scores for children in the M4T preK-K group, compared to the control group. No significant differences emerged for behavioral control, social skills, executive functions, and perceived motor competence among groups. A significant time effect was evident for executive functions, with both groups improving over time. Further, the program was well-received, easy to implement in the preschool classroom and with high rates of satisfaction for both children and teachers. The M4T preK-K program is promising in helping teachers prepare preschool children for future educational success.

Physical activity and cognitive function in older persons

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Critical Challenge

Strategies to improve cognitive aging are highly needed. Among those, promotion of exercise and physical activity appears as one of the most attractive and beneficial intervention. Indeed, results from basic and clinical studies suggest that exercise and physical activity have positive effects on cognition in older persons without cognitive impairment, as well as in those with dementia. Despite inconsistent results, aerobic exercise appears to have the strongest potential to enhance cognition. However, even limited periods of walking (45 minutes, three times a week, over a 6-month period) have also been shown to enhance cognition, particularly executive functions. Changing long-term lifestyle habits in these older persons remains a critical challenge and attractive programs susceptible to gain adherence are needed to succeed in achieving improved cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Domain-Specific Cognitive Skills in Climbers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Florian Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Sport Climbing ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
General Physical

Athletes in a particular sport have specific cognitive skills acquired due to regular confrontation with sport-specific requirements. Studies show that the particular type of sport carried out and fostered by general physical activity impacts executive functions (EFs) such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. There are inconsistent results on the connections between domain-specific cognitive skills and executive functions. This study aimed to evaluate the relations between EFs and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbing. Due to that, we examined the executive functions (neuropsychological tests) and domain-specific cognitive skills (climbing-specific test: a preview of the route vs. climbed moves; climbed moves vs. recognition of moves) of 19 climbers (10 novices, 9 experts, grades 5 to 6a vs. 6c+ to 7b). The inter-subject effects analysis shows that novices and experts in sport climbing do not differ in executive functions in this particular case. Concerning domain-specific cognitive skills, there are differences between experts and novices. Experts show a significantly higher level in planning performance or route idea (p < 0.001) as well as in memorizing of climbed moves (p = 0.004). There are no relations between executive functions and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbers.

scholarly journals Promotion of Elementary School Students’ Health Literacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9560
Author(s):  
Elke Knisel ◽  
Helge Rupprich ◽  
Annika Wunram ◽  
Markus Bremer ◽  
Christiane Desaive
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
School Students ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Signed Rank Test

Health literacy is an important outcome of the discussion of school-related health education and health promotion in the 21st century. Although the improvement of health literacy at an early age is increasingly recognized and few interventions show the development of children´s health literacy, still there is little research in this area. The purpose of the study was to examine the enhancement of health literacy among children in a physical activity-based program at elementary school. In total, 137 students aged 6–12 years participated in the program, which included health knowledge transfer in child-appropriate games and exercises. Participants´ health literacy was assessed using the HLS-Child-Q15-DE at the beginning and the end of the program. The instrument measures the access, understanding, appraisal and application of health-related information on a four-point Likert-type scale. As expected, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant increases in self-reported health literacy over time. The results show that the degree of change in health literacy was not associated with gender or age. The results suggest that the physical activity-based program has the potential to improve elementary school children´s health literacy, even though in a single group pilot study.

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