Efectos de un programa de actividad física polimotor en el estado nutricional, el consumo de alimentos, la atención y el rendimiento académico en escolares de grado 2º del colegio Rodrigo Lara Bonilla I.E.D. de Bogotá D.C.

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is a vital tool for the improvement and maintenance of health, so it is important to raise awareness of its practice at school age through a multi-engine program, which provides children with a combination of different exercises and games where physical abilities such as endurance, speed, flexibility, strength and coordination are involved. Objective: To determine the effects of a multi-engine physical activity program on nutritional status, food consumption, attention and academic performance in boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 8 at the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla I.E.D. from the city of Bogotá D.C. Colombia. Methods: Non-randomized controlled clinical trial. The 12-week multi-motor physical activity program was applied to the intervention group, three sessions of one hour per week, aimed at challenging the development of physical qualities and coordinated through pre-sport games, competitions and musical activities. The group does not control any intervention. The variables of nutritional status, food consumption, attention and academic performance are studied. The comparison of the variables before and after the intervention was performed with paired t-tests. Results: The 33 children in the intervention group and 34 in the control group completed 12 weeks of the multi-engine program. There was no change in the two groups in nutritional status. Significant changes in attention were observed in the intervention group (d = 1.9) (p = 0.00) and in variables of food consumption such as eggs, fruit, vegetables and meat. There is no statistically significant change in academic performance. Conclusion: The multi-motor physical activity program implies attention in the participants' classroom, which leads to better academic performance. It was also effective in eating healthy foods, which will probably generate benefits in adulthood. Experimental and randomized studies are required to corroborate our findings.