New research shows more fit teens have better attention span and concentration abilities.
Teenagers between 15 and 18 years of age with higher overall fitness show better performance on concentration, error and speed tests that measure attention levels, when compared with those with lower fitness levels. University of Vienna researchers in Austria assessed the 5 components of fitness along with attention, in 140 students. Fitness components included endurance, strength, coordination, flexibility and speed.
Data analysis showed that higher endurance and flexibility levels were linked with concentration speed in academic test performance, while strength and coordination were linked with attentional focus. Physical speed levels were unrelated to attention. The overall conclusion is that higher fitness levels provide an advantage for teenage cognitive performance.
The study is published in Scientific Reports, (2024; doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50721-0).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
