title: Effects of acute bouts of physical activity on children's attention: a systematic review of the literature.
abstract: The aim of this review was to describe the effects of acute bouts of physical activity on attention levels of children. A systematic review was performed of English studies from searches in PubMed, Sportdiscus and PsycINFO from 1990 to (May) 2014 according to the PRISMA statement. Only prospective studies of children aged 4-18 years old were included, detailing acute effects of physical activity bouts with the primary outcome attention. One reviewer extracted data on the study characteristics. Two reviewers conducted the methodological quality assessment independently using a criteria checklist, which was based on the Downs and Black checklist for non-randomised studies. Overall the evidence is thin and inconclusive. The methodological differences in study sample (size and age), study design and measurement of attention make it difficult to compare results. There is weak evidence for the effect of acute bouts of physical activity on attention. More experimental studies with a comparable methodology, especially in the school setting, are needed to strengthen this evidence.
authors.affiliation: Academy for Physical Education, Technical University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mirka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: Academy for Physical Education, Technical University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Huub M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Toussaint
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Mechelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evert Alm
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Verhagen
keywords: Cognitive control; Cognitive performance; Concentration; Exercise; Physical activity; Sport; Systematic review