Physical Activity Is Associated with Attention Capacity in Adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationships among physical activity, measured objectively, and attention capacity in European adolescents.


METHODS
The study included 273 adolescents, aged 12.5-17.5 years, who participated in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Study. Participants wore a uniaxial accelerometer for 7 days to measure physical activity. The d2 Test of Attention was administered to assess attention capacity. Multivariate analyses were used to study the association of attention capacity with each measure of physical activity. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to determine thresholds that best discriminate between low and good attention capacity.


RESULTS
After controlling for potential confounding variables (age, sex, body mass index, parental educational level, fat mass, aerobic fitness, and center), adolescents' attention capacity test performances were significantly and positively associated with longer time spent in moderate or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in free-living conditions (P < .05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that the physical activity thresholds that best discriminated between low/good attention capacities were ≥41 min·day(-1) for moderate, ≥12 min·day(-1) for vigorous, and ≥58 min·day(-1) for MVPA.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that promoting MVPA may be have a beneficial effect on attention capacity, an important component of cognition, in adolescents.
University of Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, LIRIC, UMR995, F-59000, Lille, France; CHU Lille, INSERM, CIC-PT-1403, F-59000, Lille, France. Electronic address: jeremy.vanhelst@chru-lille.fr.
Jérémy
J
Vanhelst
University of Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, LIRIC, UMR995, F-59000, Lille, France; CHU Lille, INSERM, CIC-PT-1403, F-59000, Lille, France.
Laurent
L
Béghin
Department of Biostatistics, University of Lille, Lille, France.
Alain
A
Duhamel
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
Yannis
Y
Manios
Department of Pediatrics, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary.
Denes
D
Molnar
Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Sefaan
S
De Henauw
Growth, Exercise, Nutrition, and Development Research Group, Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud, Zaragoza University, Zaragoza, Spain.
Luis A
LA
Moreno
School of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
Francisco B
FB
Ortega
Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
Michael
M
Sjöström
Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Private Medical University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Kurt
K
Widhalm
University of Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, LIRIC, UMR995, F-59000, Lille, France.
Frédéric
F
Gottrand
D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity