Effects of Brain Breaks on Educational Achievement in School Settings: The Break4Brain Project

NCT06319833 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 348CER23
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 600
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

A total of 600 children between 10 and 12 years of age will be randomized among two experimental conditions: physical activity interacting with a video (n = 300), and sedentary activity (n = 300). The experimental condition will take place in the school settings during the school day through a between-subject design with a total of two measurements, pre, and post-test. Using the latest advances, the transient effects of the experimental conditions on cognitive and academic performance will be measured. The experimental condition was crafted through a qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews with teachers (n = 41) and members of the management team (n = 16), along with questionnaires administered to students (n = 600). To enhance and ensure its sustainability, the same process will be replicated after the intervention. Interviews and questionnaires were meticulously crafted by the RE-AIM framework, and subsequently validated through a rigorous process involving an expert panel (n = 30) utilizing the Delphi methodology. This project has the potential to substantially contribute to the field of acute physical activity and could have a meaningful transference on the educational system. This method might be prescribed as an effective teaching strategy.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

active breaks; executive functions; academic performance; exercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Academic achievement

  Only the general academic fluency index was administered, consisting of the reading, mathematics, and writing fluency subtests. Reading fluency assessed the participant's capacity to read simple sentences rapidly, mathematical fluency gauged the ability to quickly solve simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems, and writing fluency measured the skill to formulate and write sentences promptly.

  8 weeks

• Inhibition-attention and cognitive flexibility

  The assessment of inhibition-attention and cognitive flexibility was conducted using the "Trail Making Test".

  8 weeks

• Working memory

  The measurement of working memory through "The Digit Memory Test," specifically focusing on auditory attention and verbal memory.

  8 weeks

• Selective attention

  The measurement of selective attention within a limited timeframe was carried out using the "D2 test."

  8 weeks

• Design of active breaks: semi-structured questionnaires

  Pre- and post-intervention, to guarantee a proper design and future sustainability of the experimental condition, semi-structured questionnaires are administered to students. The responses are systematically categorized.

  2 months (november and may)

• Design of active breaks: semi-structured interviews

  Pre- and post-intervention, to guarantee a proper design and future sustainability of the experimental condition, semi-structured interviews are administered to teachers and the management team. The responses are systematically categorized.

  2 months (november and may)

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Physical activity patterns

  8 weeks

• Self-report physical activity patterns

  8 weeks

• Self-report sedentary patterns

  8 weeks

• Self-report physical fitness

  8 weeks

• Socioeconomic level

  8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Physical activity interacting with a video

EXPERIMENTAL

This experimental condition involves engaging in physical activity interspersed with rest periods. The type of exercises are based on phase I.

Behavioral: Physical activity interacting with a video

Control condition

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Physical activity interacting with a video BEHAVIORAL

This experimental condition will be implemented five times a week, once per day, over 8 weeks. It will follow a structured format, including seven consecutive 40-second blocks of physical activity. The total video duration will amount to 9 minutes (40 seconds of activity followed by 20 seconds of rest, maintaining a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio). Additionally, participants will engage in 5 minutes of warm-up exercises and 5 minutes of cool-down activities. The experimental condition will consist of 10 videos, each centered around one of five different themes (a different one will be administered every day).

Physical activity interacting with a video

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 10-12 years.

You may not qualify if:

• Children who have serious physical or mental disorders (autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and cerebral palsy) that would impede participation in the experimental conditions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of the Balearic Islands: lead
• Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain: collaborator
• European Regional Development Fund: collaborator
• State Research Agency, Spain: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of the Balearic Islands

Palma, Balearic Islands, 07122, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 2, 2024
• First Posted: March 20, 2024
• Study Start: January 8, 2024
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2024
• Study Completion: July 1, 2024
• Last Updated: March 20, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03

Locations

ES (1)