Active-breaks, Learning, Creativity and Emotional Health in Preadolescent Students (ACTISTOP)
概览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 发起方
- Universitat Jaume I
- 入组人数
- 114
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Self-perceived emotional state
概览
简要总结
This study aims to examine whether short bouts of exercise (10 minutes) performed during the school day can improve thinking skills, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children. Specifically, children aged 11-12 years will be randomly assigned to perform either a short aerobic exercise break, a strength-based exercise break, or a seated control activity. The study will evaluate how these 10 minutes activity breaks influence attention, working memory, creativity, and emotional wellbeing state after completing cognitively demanding tasks. The findings will help to identify effective strategies to integrate physical activity into the classroom to enhance learning and overall well-being in school settings.
详细描述
This study investigates the effects of short classroom-based physical activity breaks on cognitive performance, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children aged 11 to 12 years. Many children spend long periods sitting during the school day, which may negatively affect attention, learning, and overall health. Introducing brief "active breaks" during class time has been proposed as a practical strategy to interrupt sedentary behavior and promote both physical and cognitive benefits.
In this study, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: an aerobic exercise group, a strength-based (neuromuscular) exercise group, or a control group that remains seated and watches a low-demand video. All interventions will last approximately 10 minutes and will be delivered in a standardized format including a warm-up, main activity, and cool-down.
To better reflect real classroom conditions, participants will perform academic tasks (e.g., reading and mathematics) prior to the intervention to induce cognitive fatigue. At baseline, before and after the intervention, children will complete a series of simple tasks and questionnaires designed to assess key aspects of cognitive function, such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control, as well as creativity and emotional state.
In addition, participants will undergo physical fitness assessments (e.g., strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition). These measures will be used as potential moderating variables or to explore associations between physical fitness levels and cognitive and emotional responses to the activity breaks.
The main objective of the study is to determine whether these short activity breaks can produce immediate improvements in cognitive, creativity and emotional outcomes, and whether different types of exercise (aerobic vs. strength-based) have distinct effects. The results of this study may help schools and educators design effective, evidence-based strategies to integrate physical activity into daily classroom routines, with the goal of improving students' learning, wellbeing, and overall development.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
盲法说明
Researchers responsible for outcomes assessment, data processing, and statistical analyses will remain blinded throughout the study
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 11 Years 至 12 Years（Child）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Students enrolled in the 5th and 6th grades of primary education in the city of Castellón, with continuous academic progression and no history of grade retention.
- •Students without diagnosed physical, neurological, or cognitive disorders.
排除标准
- •Students with a history of grade retention.
- •Students with diagnosed learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental disorders.
- •Students presenting any medical or psychiatric disease.
- •Students undergoing chronic pharmacological treatment.
研究组 & 干预措施
Aerobic Active Break
Participants assigned to the aerobic exercise group will perform continuous cardiovascular exercises at moderate intensity. The main phase will consist of two exercise blocks repeated twice, including four aerobic movements performed for 30 s. Exercise sequencing alternates upper- and lower-body movements to promote whole-body involvement and progressive cardiovascular demand. Within each block, the first minute was performed at a low-to-moderate intensity, whereas the second minute was performed at a slightly higher intensity. This intensity pattern was maintained consistently across block repetitions.
干预措施: Active Break (Other)
Rest Break
Participants in the control group will remain seated while watching a silent video with low cognitive load and without verbal interaction for 10 min.
Strength Active Break
Participants assigned to the exercise strength group will perform a vigorous-intensity neuromuscular protocol based on a Tabata structure (20 s work / 10 s rest). The session includes two blocks of four exercises targeting upper body, lower body, and core musculature in alternating sequences designed to ensure balanced neuromuscular stimulation while limiting localized fatigue
干预措施: Active Break (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
Self-perceived emotional state
时间窗: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).
Assessed using a paper-based measure following the Russell's circumplex model of affect, which conceptualizes emotions according to two primary dimensions: activation level (0 = low to 10 = high) and well-being or happiness level (0 = low to 10 = high).
Executive Function
时间窗: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).
The Eriksen Flanker Task and forward and backward digit span tests will be administered online and in paper format, respectively.
Creativity
时间窗: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).
Guilford's divergent thinking test will be administered in paper format.
次要结局
- Socioeconomic status(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Sleep Pattern(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Self-reported Physical Fitness(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Diet Pattern(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Physical Activity Enjoyment(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Affective State(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Sedentary Behavior(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Resting Heart Rate(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Systolic Blood Pressure(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Diastolic Blood Pressure(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Daily physical activity(During one week before the intervention procedure.)
- Handgrip Strength Test(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- 20-m Shuttle Run Test(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Standing Long Jump Test(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- 4x10-m Shuttle Run Test(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Body Weight(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Height(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Body Mass Index (BMI)(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
- Body Fat Percentage(Measured once (one-week before the intervention))
研究者
Diego Moliner Urdiales
Full Professor
Universitat Jaume I