Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

There is a close relationship between the development of complex motor skills and executive functions during childhood. This study aimed to analyze the differences in different dimensions of executive functions in children practicing an open-skill sport (handball) and a closed-skill sport (athletics) and controls who did not participate in sports activities after a 12-week intervention period. School-aged male and female subjects (n = 90; mean ± standard deviation = 11.45 ± 0.68 years) participated in a non-randomized controlled study. Data analysis was performed using the STATA V.15 statistical software. The athletics intervention promoted semantic fluency (p = 0.007), whereas handball increased inhibition (p = 0.034). Additionally, physical activity improved in both intervention groups (p = < 0.001), whereas sprint performance improved in the handball group following intervention (p = 0.008), lower body muscular power improved in athletics (p = 0.04), and evidence of improvement in upper body muscular strength was noted in handball (p = 0.037). In turn, an increase in the Physical Activity Questionnaire for older Children score showed an association with the Standard Ten scores of executive functions. In conclusion, compared to controls, both athletics and handball induced meaningful improvements in physical activity and executive functions. However, sport-specific adaptations were noted after athletics (i.e., semantic fluency and lower body muscular power) and handball (i.e., inhibition, sprint, and upper-body muscular strength).

Details

Title
Effects of the Type of Sports Practice on the Executive Functions of Schoolchildren
Author
Contreras-Osorio, Falonn 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Guzmán-Guzmán, Iris Paola 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cerda-Vega, Enrique 3 ; Chirosa-Ríos, Luis 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ramírez-Campillo, Rodrigo 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Campos-Jara, Christian 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain; [email protected] (F.C.-O.); [email protected] (L.C.-R.); Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Laboratory, School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile 7591538, Chile; [email protected] 
 Faculty of Chemical-Biological Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo de los Bravo 39087, Mexico; [email protected] 
 Pedagogy in Physical Education and Health Career, Department of Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile 7820436, Chile; [email protected] 
 Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain; [email protected] (F.C.-O.); [email protected] (L.C.-R.) 
 Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Laboratory, School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile 7591538, Chile; [email protected] 
First page
3886
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2649023402
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.