The Los Angeles Times (9/29, Netburn) “Science Now” blog reports that according to a new study, published in Pediatrics, “kids 7 to 9 years old who attended a daily, after-school fitness program showed an increased ability to pay attention, avoid distraction and switch between tasks at the end of a nine-month period.”
The study involved a total of 222 elementary-school-aged children, half of whom were enrolled in an after-school program with physical fitness elements while the rest of the participants were not. The report concluded that “at the end of the nine months, the physical fitness of the kids in the after-school program had improved by 6%, compared to just 1% improvement in the control group.” Additionally, “researchers also found that the kids in the program had a 10% increase in accuracy on a series of cognitive tests, while the control group saw an increase of just 5%.”
The NPR (9/29, Bruzeck) “Shots” blog also reported on this study.
Related Links:
— “An hour of physical activity a day helps kids think better, study says,” Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2014.