Physical exercise and children’s self-concept of emotional and behavioural well-being: A randomised controlled trial

Physical exercise programmes are considered to hold psychosocial benefits for children and young people. In this relatively unpopulated research area, investigation of exercise variables (type, duration, frequency) and their impact upon a range of psychosocial variables is needed. This study reports an experimental evaluation of the effects of a 10-minute daily, six-week, aerobic exercise programme (‘Wake up, Shake up’) on the self-perception of emotional and behavioural adjustment of primary school children. Participants (N=71; age 8 to 11 years) with scores below the average ‘school connectedness’ score for their school were randomly assigned to an experimental (aerobic exercise), comparison (‘Circle Time’) or control condition. The intervention reduced pupils’ perceptions of their emotional and behavioural difficulties. Aerobic exercise programmes are recommended as an intervention to enhance aspects of emotional and behavioural well-being for children in this age group. The need for further research on the effects of exercise programmes for this age group, and for developing reliable assessment measures, is highlighted.