Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Sixth-Grade Elementary School Students in the Three Weeks Following the Lifting of Temporary School Closure by COVID-19

Abstract

We investigated the physical activity and cognitive function of 11 sixth-grade students over 21 days, starting from the second week after the lifting of COVID-19 preventative school closures in 2020. As a result, the step count（SC）and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time（MVPA）were lower during the week of alternate attendance in the first week of the study compared to the following two weeks. However, we observed a trend of recovery in these physical activity mesurements after the second week of full 6-hour class attendance for all students. There were no statistically significant changes in cognitive function values over the three weeks. Moreover, the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function suggested that balanced mixing of sedentary time for study and moderate-tovigorous physical activity contributes to the activation of cognitive function.