Physical inactivity is an important health concern worldwide. In this study, we examined the effects of an exercise intervention on children’s academic achievement, cognitive function, physical fitness, and other health-related outcomes.

We conducted a population-based cluster randomized controlled trial among 2301 fourth-grade students from 10 of 11 public primary schools in 1 district of Ulaanbaatar between February and December 2018. Schools were allocated to an intervention or control group with 5 schools each by using urban and mixed residential area stratified block randomization. The intervention group received a 3-minute high-intensity interval exercise program that included jumps, squats, and various steps implemented twice weekly over 10 weeks for 10 to 25 minutes per session. The control group received the usual physical education class. The primary outcome was academic achievement assessed by scores on the national examination. A linear mixed-effects model was applied. The difference between preintervention and post intervention was compared by least-squares means, estimated on the basis of the interaction of group, measurement time point, and school location. Only 1 statistician, responsible for the analysis, was blinded.

Of 2301 students, 2101 (1069 intervention; 1032 control) were included in the analysis. Intervention group members in an urban area showed an 8.36-point improvement (95% confidence interval: 6.06 to 10.66) in academic scores when compared with the control group, whereas those in a mixed residential area showed a 9.55-point improvement (95% confidence interval: 6.58 to 12.51). No intervention-associated injuries were observed.

The exercise program significantly improved children’s academic achievement.

缺乏身体活动是世界范围内一个重要的健康问题。在这项研究中，我们检查了运动干预对儿童学业成绩、认知功能、身体健康和其他健康相关结果的影响。

我们在 2018 年 2 月至 12 月期间对乌兰巴托 1 区 11 所公立小学中的 10 所的 2301 名四年级学生进行了一项基于人群的整群随机对照试验。和混合居住区分层街区随机化。干预组接受了 3 分钟的高强度间歇锻炼计划，包括跳跃、深蹲和各种步骤，在 10 周内每周实施两次，每次 10 到 25 分钟。对照组接受通常的体育课。主要结果是通过国家考试成绩评估的学业成绩。应用了线性混合效应模型。干预前和干预后的差异采用最小二乘法进行比较，根据组、测量时间点和学校位置的相互作用进行估计。只有 1 名负责分析的统计学家不知情。

在 2301 名学生中，2101 名（1069 名干预；1032 名对照）被纳入分析。与对照组相比，城市地区的干预组成员的学业成绩提高了 8.36 分（95% 置信区间：6.06 至 10.66），而混合住宅区的成员则提高了 9.55 分（95% 置信度）间隔：6.58 到 12.51）。未观察到与干预相关的损伤。

锻炼计划显着提高了孩子的学业成绩。