RT journal article
T1 Acute effect of school-based active breaks on physical activity level and on-task classroom behavior in primary schoolchildren
A1 Reyes Amigo, Tomás
A1 Grao Cruces, Alberto
A1 Sánchez Oliva, David
A1 García Hermoso, Antonio
A1 Reyes-Molina, Daniel
A1 Yañez Sepúlveda, Rodrigo
A1 Olivares-Arancibia, Jorge
A1 Hurtado Almonácid, Juan
A1 Páez Herrera, Jacqueline
A1 Salinas Gallardo, Gabriel
A1 Mendoza, Edgardo
A1 Ovalle Fernández, Camilo
A1 Sepúlveda-Figueroa, Felipe
A1 Ibarra-Mora, Jessica
A2 Didáctica de la Educación FísicaPlástica y Musical
K1 classroom
K1 cognition
K1 physical exercise
K1 active learning
K1 childhood
AB Introduction: Active breaks (ABs) in the classroom are a promising way to promote children’s active behaviors while contributing to the development of their physical, academic, and cognitive skills. However, the effects of ABs, which are exclusive to classroom settings, remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the acute effect of an ABs intervention on physical activity levels and on-task classroom behavior in schoolchildren.Method: The participants included 55 primary schoolchildren aged between 10 and 11 years (10.48 ± 0.5 years). Children were randomized into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). In the EG, six ABs of 4 min and 30 s were applied during the school day. The CG followed their regular school day. Physical activity levels were assessed throughout the school day using accelerometers (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT, Ametris, United States), and on-task classroom behavior was evaluated using the Direct Behavior Rating Scale.Results: The EG showed significant differences in the min of physical activity level across all five levels compared to the CG: Sedentary time was significantly lower in the EG [EG 229.83 ± 17.17 vs. CG 253.76 ± 12.81 min, p = 0.001; effect size (ES) = −158], while light physical activity level (EG 36.65 ± 11.66 vs. CG 32.20 ± 7.77 min, p = 0.002; ES = 1.04), moderate physical activity level (EG 8.78 ± 2.98 vs. CG 7.11 ± 1.81 min, p = 0.002; ES = 1.05), vigorous physical activity level (EG 14.76 ± 4.83 vs. CG 6.52 ± 3.23 min, p = 0.001; ES = 2.64), and moderate-vigorous physical activity level (EG 23.53 ± 7.12 vs. CG 13.71 ± 4.7 min, p = 0.001; ES = 2.18) were all significantly higher. Regarding on-task classroom behavior outcomes, both academic engagement (67.51% ± 25.61 vs. 82.91% ± 18.81; p = 0.002; ES = 0.1) and disruption (15.81 ± 17.21% vs. 7.51% ± 14.81 p = 0.002; ES = 0.5) showed statistically significant differences before and after the ABs. Regarding respectfulness (84.21% ± 17.41 vs. 90.41% ± 14; p = 0.21), the ABs showed no significant changes.Conclusion: ABs are an effective strategy to acutely increase primary school children’s moderate and vigorous physical activity engagement and improve on-task classroom behavior. Implementation should be considered by policymakers, educators, and health professionals.
PB Frontiers Media SA
SN 2296-2565
YR 2025
FD 2025-10-30
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39377
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39377
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 05-nov-2026