Background: The psychological and physiological adaptations in response to the FIFA 11+ for kids (FIFA11+kid) program has not been examined in school children. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 8-week FIFA11+kid intervention on physical fitness and attentional capacity in elementary school children. Methods: A total of 55 elementary school students voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were assigned to either the FIFA11+kid (n = 28, 5 times per week) or the control (n = 27) group. At baseline and after 8 weeks, all participants were asked to perform a battery of physical fitness tests (sit-and-reach, broad jump, sit-up test, and 800-m run) and the Attention Scale for Elementary School Children, including 5 subscales: focused, sustained, selective, alternating, and divided attentions. Results: The FIFA11+kid group demonstrated larger pre–post change in sit-and-reach (P < .001) and sit-up test (P < .001) than that of control group. Moreover, the FIFA11+kid group demonstrated large improvements pre–post change in Attention Scale for Elementary School Children scores of total score (P < .001), focused (P < .001), sustained (P < .001), and selective attentions (P < .001) compared with the control group. Conclusion: A total of 8 weeks of FIFA11+kid exercise intervention can improve general physical fitness and attentional capacities in elementary school children.

School-based exercise intervention is recognized as an optimal tool for enhancing attentional performance in healthy school children. However, gender differences in the training adaptation regarding attentional capacities have not been elucidated clearly in the current literature. This study aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ for Kids training program on attentional performance in schoolboys and girls. Based on a quasi-experimental design, fifty-two children registered in year five of elementary school were assigned into the following groups: training boys (n = 13), training girls (n = 13), control boys (n = 13), and control girls (n = 13). The training groups undertook an 8-week FIFA 11+ Kids intervention with a training frequency of five times per week, whereas the control groups were deprived of any exercise during the study period. All the participants maintained their regular physical activity and weekly physical education (PE) lessons (two 50-min lessons per week of school curriculum) during the training period. The Chinese version of the Attention Scale for Elementary School Children (ASESC) test was used for attentional assessment at the baseline and one week after the interventional period. The Kruskal–Wallis H test was used for between-group comparison, whereas the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for within-group comparison. Significant differences in total scale, focused attention, selective attention, and alternating attention were found in group comparisons (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the training children significantly increased their values in relation to total scale, focused attention, sustained attention, and selective attention (p < 0.05). Only training girls significantly improved their divided attention after the training period (p < 0.001, MD = −0.77, ES = −0.12). In conclusion, the FIFA 11+ for Kids is an effective school-based exercise intervention for attentional improvement in school children. The schoolgirls demonstrated a positive outcome regarding divided attention after the interventional period.

This study examined the effects of 3 different acute exercise modes on sustained attention in elderly adults. Twelve experienced male Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners were assigned to: TCC, coordination program and ergometer cycling. Each exercise session lasted for 30 minutes. Before and after the exercise a 14 min Continues Performance Test (CPT) was conducted to evaluate sustained attention. Results: After TCC a value for attentiveness (Detectability) improved significantly with p=0.01. Decreasing commission mistakes (p=0.06) and hit reaction time (p=0.09) showed a tendency for higher attention levels. Hit reaction time value (p=0.026) and hit reaction time standard deviation (p=0.002) reduced significantly after the coordination session. Commission mistakes decreased significantly (p=0.031) after ergometer cycling. These results demonstrate that each exercise mode influences attention markers differently; Coordinative challenging exercises are more beneficial for attention; TCC in specific for attentiveness and inhibition; and aerobic training for inhibition.