A short-medium time point evaluation of active breaks on selective and sustained attention in primary school: a pilot quasi-experimental study

Background A growing body of evidence demonstrates the positive relationship between physical activity and executive function in children. Aims This study aimed to examine the time course of the effectiveness of active breaks (ABs) in enhancing attention levels among second-grade primary school children compared to traditional teaching methods over a three-month period. Methods Parents/guardians and teachers of both the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG) completed a questionnaire assessing the psychometric characteristics of the sample. The EG participated in daily 10-min active breaks for three months, while the CG followed regular teaching methods. Selective attention (SeA, at 30 s) and sustained attention (SuA, at 120 s) were assessed at baseline and monthly (T0, T1, T2, and T3). Results The EG consisted of 17 children (8.42 ± 0.39 years, 10 females), while the CG included 18 children (8.37 ± 0.42 years, 11 females). The EG generally exhibited higher psychometric scores, although teacher and parent perceptions varied in both groups. SeA levels improved significantly in both groups overtime, but EG demonstrated greater improvements, particularly three months after the introduction of active breaks (p < 0.001). A similar trend also for SuA (p < 0.001). A huge effect size shows larger increases during the third month for both SeA (ES = 1.97) and SuA (ES = 1.46) in favor of EG. Conclusions Active breaks positively influenced both SeA and SuA. Their effectiveness increased over time, suggesting that a minimum duration of three months is necessary to achieve significant benefits compared to traditional teaching methods in primary education.