Royal Center

Researchers are evaluating the effects of a 12-week school-based program combining mindfulness with high-intensity interval training (MF-HIIT) compared to mindfulness-only, HIIT-only, and sedentary activities on executive function in children aged 8 to 12 years. The study aims to determine if the combined MF-HIIT approach leads to greater improvements in executive function performance than either mindfulness or HIIT alone or sedentary activity. This research is conducted as a randomized controlled trial including multiple cohorts over one semester. Participants will be assigned to one of four groups: MF-HIIT, mindfulness-only, HIIT-only, or sedentary activity. Each intervention involves two 10-minute sessions daily during the school day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, over the 12-week period. The classroom serves as the intervention unit for delivering these behavioral sessions. Before the intervention, children and their parents will complete tests to assess intelligence, physical fitness, mindfulness, and executive function, along with providing demographic and health information. After the 12-week intervention, these assessments will be repeated. Researchers will compare the executive function outcomes between the different intervention groups to evaluate the benefits of combining mindfulness with HIIT compared to single interventions or sedentary activities.