High-intensity exercise twice weekly improves academic scores in fourth graders

Référence

Takehara K, Togoobaatar G, Kikuchi A, et al. Exercise intervention for academic achievement among children: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics 2021;148(5):e2021052808.

Sommaire

This study was conducted in 10 urban and mixed residential elementary schools in Mongolia. The 2301 students were randomized to receive high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or the usual 45-minute physical education class. Randomization was by school, stratified to balance socioeconomic status and lifestyle between the 2 groups. Synchronized to music, the HIIT comprised jumps, squats, and various steps for 3 minutes, followed by a rest period, repeated several times, twice weekly for 10 weeks for 10 to 25 minutes per session. The exercise was introduced gradually to allow participants to develop stamina. Compared with the scores on a standardized mathematics and language tests before the start of this study, the scores of the students in the HIIT group increased on both tests, in both urban and mixed residential schools, an average of approximately 2% to 8% as compared with the control group over the 10 weeks. Interestingly, obesity and body mass index were slightly higher in students in the HIIT group, which is not consistent with other studies.