Short, frequent physical activity breaks improve working memory in adolescents during prolonged sitting (AbbaH teen study)

• Purpose: Physical activity breaks in schools have been suggested as a promising strategy to acutely improve cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Most previous studies have explored the effects of single physical activity bouts, but they are infeasible in a school setting (e.g. long duration/high-intensity or requiring equipment/space). Further, studies investigating the underlying physiological mechanisms in adolescents arel acking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of short, frequent physical activity breaks of different intensities on adolescents’ working memory (WM) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) during prolonged sitting.Methods: This randomized crossover study was performed in adolescents (13-15 years of age). In 80-minute sessions, one of the following types of breaks was performed four times in three minutes durations on three different days: simple resistance training (SRA), step-up at a pre-determined pace (STEP), or remaining seated (SOCIAL). Before and after each session, WM (accuracy and reaction time during the 1,2,3-back test) were measured, with simultaneous measurement of task-related CBF (assessed by prefrontal oxygenation using functional near-infrared spectroscopy). Analysis of CBF is ongoing and will be presented at the conference.Results: A total of 17 students participated (mean age 13.6 years, 11 girls). In the most demanding task (3-back) the following results were seen: improvement in reaction time following SRA (-30.1, p=0.04) and STEP (-34.3 ms, p=0.05) and no improvement following prolonged sitting. We also found a moderating effect (p <0.01) of WM performance at baseline (using a mean split), such that students with poor WM significantly improved their accuracy and reaction time following the higher-intensity breaks (STEP) while students with high performance did not.Conclusion: We found that implementing physical activity breaks of both moderate and high intensities was beneficial for WM performance. For students with low WM performance, high-intensity breaks were more beneficial. Implementing physical activity breaks during periods of prolonged sitting, such as long school classes could improve the students’ cognitive performance. However, future studies should investigate if these breaks are feasible, acceptable, and beneficial to implement in the school setting.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

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E-PABS

EPABS

hjärnhälsa

brain health

Medicin/Teknik

Medicine/Technology

Medicin/Teknik

Medicine/Technology

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