Programas de intervenção motora em escolares : efeito agudo do exercício físico sobre o desempenho cognitivo.

Abstract

Introduction: Interventions with physical exercise emerge as an important tool to mitigate the low school performance of students from Brazilian public school system. The effects of planned and structured physical exercise on cognitive improvement are promising. Nevertheless, there are few studies investigating the acute effect of physical exercise on cognitive functions. Objective: This study aims to verify the acute effect of two exercise programs on cognitive performance in schoolchildren. Manuscript 1: Objective: This study aims to verify the acute effect of two physical exercise programs on cognitive performance (inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). Method: This is a randomized controlled clinical study with 3 groups, consisting of 94 schoolchildren of 9 and 10 years old, 48 boys and 46 girls, from local public schools of Santa Cruz do Sul - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. From 26 municipal schools, located in the urban area, center and periphery, and rural area, 9 municipal schools were randomly selected and invited to participate; one central school, one peripheral school, and one rural school, totaling 3 schools for each group of study, which are allocated in Experimental Group 1 (EG1), with problem-solving, balance, and movement coordination exercises; Experimental Group 2 (EG2), with exercises involving playful and recreational activities; and Control Group (CG), which did not receive any type of intervention. The sessions were composed of specific exercises (45 minutes), being 10 minutes of warm-up and 35 minutes of exercise according to EG1 and EG2. The CG remained for 30 minutes sitting in the classroom watching age appropriate cartoons. Results: In the Trail Test (cognitive flexibility), there was a statistically significant interaction effect in EG1 regarding both execution time (p < 0,01) and the number of errors (p < 0,01), while in EG2, it was only on the number of errors (p < 0,01). Concerning the Stroop test (inhibitory control), both EG1 and EG2 showed a significant reduction in the number of errors (p < 0,01), indicating an acute effect after the intervention in both groups. Conclusion: The exercise programs in EG1 and EG2 positively affected cognitive performance, including inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility in schoolchildren. Moreover, considering all the variables of cognitive performance tests, EG1 showed to be a promising alternative to be developed in schools, positively impacting cognitive performance and, consequently, learning. Manuscript 2: Objective: This study aims to establish the mediating role of physical fitness (cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index [BMI]) in the relationship between the acute effect of two exercise programs on cognitive performance in children. Method: This is a randomized controlled clinical study with three groups, consisting of 94 schoolchildren aged 9 and 10 years old (48 boys) from local public schools of Santa Cruz do Sul - Rio Grande do Sul. From 26 municipal schools located in the urban area, center, and periphery, as well as the rural area, nine municipal schools were randomly selected and invited to participate. One central school, one peripheral school, and one rural school were chosen for each group of study, totaling three schools for each group of study. The groups were allocated as follows: Experimental Group 1 (EG1), with problem-solving, balance, and movement coordination exercises; Experimental Group 2 (EG2), with exercises involving playful and recreational activities; and Control Group (CG), which did not receive any type of intervention. To evaluate cognitive performance, the Trail test was used to assess cognitive flexibility, and the computerized Stroop test (Testinpacs) was used to determine inhibitory control. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by the 6-minute run/walk test, and for BMI, weight and height were determined according to the protocols established by the Manual of the Brazilian Sport Project (PROESP-BR). The assessments were carried out with specific exercises (45 minutes), 10 minutes of warm-up, and 35 minutes of exercise according to GE1 and GE2. Students from CG remained seated for 30 minutes in the classroom watching age-appropriate cartoons. Results: The indirect effects, both via cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI, showed no statistically significant differences. This result suggests that the greater acute effectiveness of the intervention, reported in article 1 of this thesis, cannot be attributed to children with more favorable levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index. Conclusion: Cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI are not mediators of the relationship between the acute effect of exercise programs applied to EG1 and EG2 on the cognitive performance of schoolchildren.