Mazzoli Emiliano, Koorts Harriet, Salmon Jo, Pesce Caterina, May Tamara, Teo Wei-Peng, Barnett Lisa Michele
School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
J Sport Health Sci. 2019 Mar;8(2):137-148. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2019.01.002. Epub 2019 Jan 11.
Children spend ≤70% of the school day sitting in class. Classroom-based active breaks can benefit children's physical health, but if the breaks are cognitively demanding (i.e., combine physical exertion and mental engagement), they may also improve focus and cognitive functions. Teachers and students play a crucial role in the successful implementation of active breaks, and their perspectives are critical to the feasibility of these strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing a cognitively challenging motor task as an active break in mainstream and special primary schools.
A total of 5 teachers in 2 mainstream schools and 7 teachers in 1 special school (attended by children with neurodevelopmental disorders) attended a 20-min training on how to implement a 4-min cognitively challenging active break, before conducting a feasibility trial (twice a day for 1 week). To understand individual perceptions, one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted before and after the trial with teachers, and focus group interviews were conducted with typically developing children after the trial. Questions were based on a predefined framework for feasibility studies. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed in NVivo 11 using a framework approach. A total of 12 teachers (11 females; 7 between 20 and 34years old) and 34 children (16 girls; 9.3 ± 1.7years, mean ± SD) participated in the interviews.
In mainstream schools, teachers viewed the cognitively challenging motor task as appropriate and potentially beneficial for children's health and focus. Children reported enjoying the active breaks. Teachers in special schools viewed the task as complex and potentially frustrating for children. In both school types, children's disruptive behavior and lack of time were seen as the main potential barriers to implementation. The use of music, videos, visual cards, and support staff were noted as potential facilitators.
The cognitively challenging motor task was a feasible way to interrupt children's sitting time and promote physical activity in mainstream schools, but required changes in special schools. Further research could investigate the effectiveness of these types of task interruptions on children's physical and cognitive health.
儿童在学校一天中坐着上课的时间占比≤70%。基于课堂的课间活动能有益于儿童的身体健康，但如果这些课间活动对认知有要求（即结合体力消耗和脑力活动），它们也可能提高注意力和认知功能。教师和学生在成功实施课间活动中起着关键作用，他们的观点对于这些策略的可行性至关重要。本研究的目的是评估在主流小学和特殊小学实施一项具有认知挑战性的运动任务作为课间活动的可行性。
2所主流学校的5名教师和1所特殊学校（招收神经发育障碍儿童）的7名教师参加了一次20分钟的培训，内容是如何实施一项4分钟的具有认知挑战性的课间活动，之后进行可行性试验（每天两次，持续1周）。为了解个人看法，在试验前后与教师进行了一对一的半结构化访谈，并在试验后与发育正常的儿童进行了焦点小组访谈。问题基于一个预定义的可行性研究框架。所有访谈都进行了录音，转录并在NVivo 11中使用框架方法进行分析。共有12名教师（11名女性；7名年龄在20至34岁之间）和34名儿童（16名女孩；平均年龄9.3±1.7岁，均值±标准差）参与了访谈。
在主流学校，教师认为具有认知挑战性的运动任务适合儿童，对儿童的健康和注意力有潜在益处。儿童表示喜欢课间活动。特殊学校的教师认为该任务对儿童来说复杂且可能令人沮丧。在这两种学校类型中，儿童的破坏性行为和时间不足被视为实施的主要潜在障碍。音乐、视频、视觉卡片和辅助人员的使用被认为是潜在的促进因素。
具有认知挑战性的运动任务是在主流学校中断儿童久坐时间并促进体育活动的一种可行方式，但在特殊学校需要进行调整。进一步的研究可以调查这类任务中断对儿童身体和认知健康的有效性。
