Abstract
The authors performed a clustered randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of an aerobic and a cognitively demanding exercise intervention on executive functions in primary-school-age children compared with the regular physical education program (N = 856). They hypothesized that both exercise interventions would facilitate executive functioning, with stronger effects for the cognitively demanding exercise group. The interventions were provided four times per week for 14 weeks. Linear mixed models were conducted on posttest neurocognitive function measures with baseline level as covariate. No differences were found between the exercise interventions and the control group for any of the measures. Independently of group, dose of moderate to vigorous physical activity was positively related to verbal working memory and attention abilities. This study showed that physical exercise interventions did not enhance executive functioning in children. Exposure to moderate to vigorous physical activity is a crucial aspect of the relationship between physical activity and executive functioning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 3 Dec 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2021 |
Funding
The authors thank all participating children and school directors. The authors also want to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research under Grant 405-15-410 and Dutch Brain Foundation under Grant GH 2015-3-01. The funding sources were not involved in conduction of the research and preparation of the manuscript.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Dutch Brain Foundation | GH 2015-3-01 |
| Netherlands Initiative for Education Research | 405-15-410 |