Effects of physical activity on schoolchildren's academic performance: The Active Smarter Kids (ASK) cluster-randomized controlled trial.
To investigate the effect of a seven-month, school-based cluster-randomized controlled trial on academic performance in 10-year-old children.



In total, 1129 fifth-grade children from 57 elementary schools in Sogn og Fjordane County, Norway, were cluster-randomized by school either to the intervention group or to the control group. The children in the 28 intervention schools participated in a physical activity intervention between November 2014 and June 2015 consisting of three components: 1) 90min/week of physically active educational lessons mainly carried out in the school playground; 2) 5min/day of physical activity breaks during classroom lessons; 3) 10min/day physical activity homework. Academic performance in numeracy, reading and English was measured using standardized Norwegian national tests. Physical activity was measured objectively by accelerometry.



We found no effect of the intervention on academic performance in primary analyses (standardized difference 0.01-0.06, p>0.358). Subgroup analyses, however, revealed a favorable intervention effect for those who performed the poorest at baseline (lowest tertile) for numeracy (p=0.005 for the subgroup∗group interaction), compared to controls (standardized difference 0.62, 95% CI 0.19-1.07).



This large, rigorously conducted cluster RCT in 10-year-old children supports the notion that there is still inadequate evidence to conclude that increased physical activity in school enhances academic achievement in all children. Still, combining physical activity and learning seems a viable model to stimulate learning in those academically weakest schoolchildren.
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: gk@hisf.no.
Geir K
GK
Resaland
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: Eivind.Aadland@hisf.no.
Eivind
E
Aadland
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: vegard.fusche.moe@hisf.no.
Vegard Fusche
VF
Moe
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: katrine.Nyvoll.Aadland@hisf.no.
Katrine N
KN
Aadland
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: turid.skrede@hisf.no.
Turid
T
Skrede
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: mette.stavnsbo@hisf.no.
Mette
M
Stavnsbo
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: laura.Suominen@hisf.no.
Laura
L
Suominen
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: jostein.steene-johannessen@nih.no.
Jostein
J
Steene-Johannessen
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway. Electronic address: oyvind.glosvik@hisf.no.
Øyvind
Ø
Glosvik
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Health Studies, Førde, Norway; Førde Central Hospital, Centre of Health Research, Førde, Norway. Electronic address: john.andersen@hisf.no.
John R
JR
Andersen
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Health Studies, Førde, Norway; University of Bergen, Department of Chemistry, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Olav.Kvalheim@uib.no.
Olav M
OM
Kvalheim
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway; Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: gunn.engelsrud@nih.no.
Gunn
G
Engelsrud
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway; Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: lars.bo.andersen@hisf.no.
Lars B
LB
Andersen
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: i.m.k.holme@nih.no.
Ingar M
IM
Holme
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Coaching and Psychology, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: yngvar.ommundsen@nih.no.
Yngvar
Y
Ommundsen
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Hirschengraben 84, CH-8001 Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: susi.kriemlerwiget@uzh.ch.
Susi
S
Kriemler
Department of Public and Occupational Health and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: w.vanmechelen@vumc.nl.
Willem
W
van Mechelen
The University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Practice, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: heather.mckay@ubc.ca.
Heather A
HA
McKay
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: ulf.ekelund@nih.no.
Ulf
U
Ekelund
Sogn og Fjordane University College, Faculty of Teacher Education and Sports, Sogndal, Norway; Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: s.a.anderssen@nih.no.
Sigmund A
SA
Anderssen
D061725:Accelerometry / Q000379:methods; D000124:Achievement; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D012574:Schools
Academic performance; Children; Cluster RCT; Elementary school; Physical activity; Physically active educational lessons