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NCT Number: NCT07538453

Active Breaks and Executive Function in Scholars

This study aims to examine whether short bouts of exercise (10 minutes) performed during the school day can improve thinking skills, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children. Specifically, children aged 11-12 years will be randomly assigned to perform either a short aerobic exercise break, a strength-based exercise break, or a seated control activity. The study will evaluate how these 10 minutes activity breaks influence attention, working memory, creativity, and emotional wellbeing state after completing cognitively demanding tasks. The findings will help to identify effective strategies to integrate physical activity into the classroom to enhance learning and overall well-being in school settings.

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Key information

Conditions

Creativity Behavior Executive Function (Cognition) Inhibition, Psychological Motor Activity Psychological Wellbeing

Age range

11 year–12 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Universitat Jaume I

Castellon, Castellón, 12071, Spain

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Alessandra de Maria, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Carlos Babiloni-Lopez, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 964 729840

Carlos Bou-Sospedra, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Diego Moliner-Urdiales, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 964 729782

Irene Monzonís-Carda, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Jose Vicente Beltrán-Garrido, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Maria Dolores Temprado-Albalat, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Maria Reyes Beltrán-Valls, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Martín Sánchez-Gómez, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Mireia Adelantado-Renau, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Noelia Linares-Ayala, MsC

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

This study investigates the effects of short classroom-based physical activity breaks on cognitive performance, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children aged 11 to 12 years. Many children spend long periods sitting during the school day, which may negatively affect attention, learning, and overall health. Introducing brief "active breaks" during class time has been proposed as a practical strategy to interrupt sedentary behavior and promote both physical and cognitive benefits.

In this study, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: an aerobic exercise group, a strength-based (neuromuscular) exercise group, or a control group that remains seated and watches a low-demand video. All interventions will last approximately 10 minutes and will be delivered in a standardized format including a warm-up, main activity, and cool-down.

To better reflect real classroom conditions, participants will perform academic tasks (e.g., reading and mathematics) prior to the intervention to induce cognitive fatigue. At baseline, before and after the intervention, children will complete a series of simple tasks and questionnaires designed to assess key aspects of cognitive function, such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control, as well as creativity and emotional state.

In addition, participants will undergo physical fitness assessments (e.g., strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition). These measures will be used as potential moderating variables or to explore associations between physical fitness levels and cognitive and emotional responses to the activity breaks.

The main objective of the study is to determine whether these short activity breaks can produce immediate improvements in cognitive, creativity and emotional outcomes, and whether different types of exercise (aerobic vs. strength-based) have distinct effects. The results of this study may help schools and educators design effective, evidence-based strategies to integrate physical activity into daily classroom routines, with the goal of improving students' learning, wellbeing, and overall development.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Students enrolled in the 5th and 6th grades of primary education in the city of Castellón, with continuous academic progression and no history of grade retention.
  • Students without diagnosed physical, neurological, or cognitive disorders.

Exclusion criteria

  • Students with a history of grade retention.
  • Students with diagnosed learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Students presenting any medical or psychiatric disease.
  • Students undergoing chronic pharmacological treatment.

Treatment and study plan

Active Break

Other

A 10-min active break format was selected to maximize feasibility within school settings. All conditions followed an identical temporal structure consisting of a 1-min warm-up, an 8-min main activity phase, and a 1-min cool-down delivered through standardized instructional videos that guided students in reproducing and observing the correct technique and execution of the exercises.

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-perceived emotional state

    Time frame: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

    Assessed using a paper-based measure following the Russell's circumplex model of affect, which conceptualizes emotions according to two primary dimensions: activation level (0 = low to 10 = high) and well-being or happiness level (0 = low to 10 = high).

  2. Executive Function

    Time frame: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

    The Eriksen Flanker Task and forward and backward digit span tests will be administered online and in paper format, respectively.

  3. Creativity

    Time frame: Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

    Guilford's divergent thinking test will be administered in paper format.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Socioeconomic status

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Socioeconomic status will be assessed using the Family Affluence Scale III (FAS III), a self-reported questionnaire with higher scores indicating higher family affluence.

  2. Sleep Pattern

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-reported questionnaire with a global score ranging from 0 to 21, where higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.

  3. Self-reported Physical Fitness

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Self-reported physical fitness will be assessed using the International Fitness Scale (IFIS), which evaluates overall fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, speed-agility, and flexibility using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very poor to 5 = very good), where higher scores indicate better perceived physical fitness.

  4. Diet Pattern

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Adherence to the Mediterranean diet will be assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED), with scores ranging from -4 to 12, where higher scores indicate better adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

  5. Physical Activity Enjoyment

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Enjoyment of physical activity will be assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), consisting of 16 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 to 5), with total scores ranging from 16 to 80, where higher scores indicate greater enjoyment of physical activity.

  6. Affective State

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Negative affect will be assessed using the Negative Affect subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), which consists of 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very slightly or not at all to 5 = extremely), with total scores ranging from 10 to 50, where higher scores indicate greater negative affect.

  7. Sedentary Behavior

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Sedentary behavior will be assessed using the Children and Adolescents Physical Activity and Sedentary Questionnaire (CAPAS-Q), which estimates daily time spent in sedentary activities. Results are expressed in minutes per day, where higher values indicate greater sedentary behavior.

  8. Resting Heart Rate

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Resting heart rate will be assessed using a heart rate monitor, expressed in beats per minute (bpm), with lower values indicating better cardiovascular fitness.

  9. Systolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Systolic blood pressure will be measured using an automated sphygmomanometer and expressed in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

  10. Diastolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Diastolic blood pressure will be measured using an automated sphygmomanometer and expressed in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

  11. Daily physical activity

    Time frame: During one week before the intervention procedure.

    Students will wear an accelerometer (GENEActiv; Activinsights Ltd, Kimbolton, UK) during one week.

  12. Handgrip Strength Test

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Upper-body muscular strength will be assessed using the handgrip strength test with a dynamometer, expressed in kilograms (kg), where higher values indicate greater muscular strength.

  13. 20-m Shuttle Run Test

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Cardiorespiratory fitness will be assessed using the 20-m shuttle run test, with performance expressed as the number of completed stages or laps, where higher values indicate better cardiorespiratory fitness.

  14. Standing Long Jump Test

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Lower-body muscular power will be assessed using the standing long jump test, expressed in centimeters (cm), where greater distances indicate higher muscular power.

  15. 4x10-m Shuttle Run Test

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Speed and agility will be assessed using the 4 × 10-m shuttle run test, with performance expressed in seconds (s), where lower times indicate better performance.

  16. Body Weight

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Body weight will be measured using electrical bioimpedance (Tanita DC-360 portable S) and expressed in kilograms (kg).

  17. Height

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Height will be measured using a stadiometer (SECA 213) and expressed in centimeters (cm).

  18. Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Body mass index (BMI) will be calculated from weight and height measurements and expressed in kilograms per square meter (kg/m²).

  19. Body Fat Percentage

    Time frame: Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

    Body fat percentage will be assessed using electrical bioimpedance (Tanita DC-360 portable S) and expressed as a percentage (%), where higher values indicate higher adiposity.

Other outcomes

  1. Heart Rate

    Time frame: During the experimental condition, which will last 10 minutes.

    Monitored second-by-second during all three conditions using a Polar H10 monitor, which includes a chest strap.

  2. Rating of Perceived Exertion

    Time frame: During the experimental condition, which will last 10 minutes.

    Perceived exertion will be assessed using a child-adapted Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no exertion and 10 indicates maximal exertion, with higher scores reflecting greater perceived effort.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carlos Babiloni-Lopez, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 964 729840

Diego Moliner-Urdiales, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 964 729782

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universitat Jaume I

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Active-breaks, Learning, Creativity and Emotional Health in Preadolescent Students (ACTISTOP)

Acronym: ACTISTOP

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Apr 20, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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