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- Bunketorp Käll, Lina, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of a Curricular Physical Activity Intervention on Children's School Performance, Wellness, and Brain Development
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of School Health. - : Wiley. - 0022-4391 .- 1746-1561. ; 85:10, s. 704-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Physical activity and structural differences in the hippocampus have been linked to educational outcome. We investigated whether a curriculum-based physical activity intervention correlates positively with children’s academic achievement, psychological well-being, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), fitness, and structural development of the brain. METHODS: The study had a quasi-experimental design and a control group. National test results were gathered from 545 students, 122 in the intervention school, and 423 in 3 control schools. HRQoL and socioemotional data were collected with child and proxy versions of KIDSCREEN and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Overall, 79 students in grades 5 and 6 were recruited for an in-depth study, consisting of a submaximal oxygen consumption test and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. HRQoL and socioemotional data were collected from 349 students (65%), 182 (52%) in the intervention school, and 167 (48%) in one of the control schools. RESULTS: Girls attending the intervention school were more likely to pass national tests in Swedish (odds ratio 5.7) and Mathematics (odds ratio 3.2). The fourth to sixth graders in the intervention school reported lower levels of conduct problems (p < .05), and the girls were also less likely to report hyperactivity (p < .05). Girls reported higher levels of emotional problems (p < .05) than boys. Boys in the intervention group had significantly higher levels of estimated maximal oxygen uptake (p < .05) than controls. No difference in hippocampal structure was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Curriculum-based physical activity in school may improve the academic achievement and psychological health of children, particularly for girls.
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| 3. |
- Bunketorp Käll, Lina, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of a Physical Activity Intervention Program on Academic Achievement in a Swedish Elementary School Setting
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of School Health. - : Wiley. - 0022-4391. ; 84:8, s. 473-480
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Despite the emerging body of research on the potential of physical activity to improve learning and academic achievement, conclusive evidence regarding the effects of physical activity on academic achievement is lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a physical activity intervention program on academic performance. METHODS: A controlled cross-sectional design was used to investigate the hypothesis that the intervention program would increase the proportion of students in grade 5 who achieved the national learning goals in Swedish, mathematics, and English compared with 3 reference schools. Academic results from the years prior to and during the intervention program were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses assessed the odds of achieving the national learning goals when the intervention program was integrated into the elementary curricula. RESULTS: Higher proportions of students in the intervention school achieved the national goals in all 3 subjects compared with the reference schools after initiation of the intervention program. The odds for achieving the national learning goals in the intervention school increased 2-fold (p < .05), whereas these odds either did not change or decreased in the reference schools. CONCLUSION: Promoting physical activity in school by means of a curriculum-based intervention program may improve children's educational outcome.
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