Differential impact of various in-class physical exercise interventions on cognitive function and mathematics achievement in primary school children.

Concentration levels increased in all three intervention groups (CARDIO, BALANCE, and MENTAL) over the 5-week intervention period.

• 157 primary school students from 2nd and 3rd grades were assigned to one of three intervention groups: CARDIO, BALANCE, or MENTAL.
• Cognitive function was assessed using the KoKi concentration test.
• Interventions were conducted daily for 15 minutes over a 5-week period.
• All groups showed increases in concentration regardless of whether the intervention was physical or cognitive in nature.

Only the BALANCE and MENTAL groups showed significant improvements in both easy and complex mathematics exercises.

• The CARDIO group (aerobic/anaerobic exercises) did not show significant improvements in math performance.
• BALANCE training and MENTAL (cognitive training without physical activity) both led to significant gains in mathematics achievement.
• Mathematics achievement was evaluated with a curriculum-based assessment.
• Improvements were observed across both easy and complex math exercise categories for BALANCE and MENTAL groups.

Students with lower baseline concentration scores showed greater gains in simpler math tasks specifically in the BALANCE and MENTAL groups.

• A subsample of students with lower concentration scores was identified and analyzed separately.
• Greater gains in simpler math tasks were observed for BALANCE and MENTAL groups within this lower-concentration subsample.
• The CARDIO group did not show the same pattern of greater gains in simpler math tasks among lower-concentration students.
• This finding suggests that students with lower concentration may particularly benefit from balance or cognitive training interventions.

CARDIO interventions consisting of aerobic and anaerobic exercises did not produce the same cognitive or mathematics benefits as BALANCE or MENTAL interventions.

• CARDIO was one of three in-class intervention conditions compared in the study.
• Unlike BALANCE and MENTAL, CARDIO did not yield significant improvements in mathematics achievement.
• All groups showed concentration increases, but the pattern of math improvement differed for CARDIO versus the other two groups.
• This differential impact suggests that exercise intensity or type moderates academic and cognitive outcomes.

Physically active breaks (BALANCE) may provide added health-related benefits compared to non-physical cognitive breaks, given widespread sedentary behavior.

• Both BALANCE (physical) and MENTAL (non-physical) interventions produced similar improvements in concentration and mathematics performance.
• The authors note that considering widespread sedentary behavior, physically active breaks may offer additional health-related benefits beyond cognitive outcomes.
• The study was conducted in a primary school setting with daily 15-minute in-class breaks over 5 weeks.
• This finding supports the use of physically active breaks as a strategy that addresses both cognitive development and physical health.