Physical Education and cognitive functions in adolescents: a randomized community trial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.31e0428Keywords:
Physical Education, Attention, Executive function, AdolescentAbstract
Objective: To analyze the effects of an intervention with Physical Education classes on cognitive functions in adolescents. Methods: School-based randomized community trial, in which three groups of full-time schools were exposed to interventions: (A) schools with two extra Physical Education classes per week; (B) schools with workshop with the Physical Education teachers; (C) schools with a combination of strategies A and B; and (D) control group. A total of 1,027 high school students from Pernambuco were evaluated. Attention was measured by the d2 Test, and executive functions by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Differences in change between groups were analyzed using mixed-effects linear multilevel regression for repeated measures. Results: An increase in the averages of attention and a reduction in the averages of low cognitive flexibility were observed in all evaluated groups; however, the adjusted analyses showed no significant effects of any of the strategies on the adolescents’ attention. After stratification by biological sex, effects were observed in the executive functions of the girls who participated in intervention C (β = -1.70, CI95% -3.10: -0.29). Conclusion: The combination of actions in Physical Education classes is effective in improving executive functions in girls.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Edilânea Nunes Mélo, Anísio Luis da Silva Brito, Simone José dos Santos, Fernanda Cunha Soares, João Francisco Lins Brayner Rangel Junior, Mauro Virgílio Gomes de Barros
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