CORRELATION BETWEEN LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH INHIBITORY CONTROL, WORKING MEMORY AND COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY IN PRESCHOOLERS

J. Bernal Monroy¹, A.N. Romero Rivera¹, C. Escobar Restrepo¹, M.L. Ocampo Plazas¹

Background: Inhibitory control (IC), working memory (WM) and cognitive flexibility (CF), are functions that influence in formation, acquisition and development of cognitive processes that promote learning from early ages, with important changes that occur mainly between 3 and 5 years old. Movement strengthens executive functions (EF), therefore, physical activity (PA) promote learning processes in schoolchildren. 
Considering that Colombian childrens spend their days in kindergarden, it's necessary to identify the level of PA and EF. PA as an expression of movement, constitutes a central tool to design and implement programs that promote processes of exploration and learning in preschool.

Purpose: Establish the relationship between levels of PA and the condition of IC, WM and CF in preschoolers between 3 to 5 years old from an educational institution in Bogota city.

Methods: Descriptive correlational type study. Participated 35 preschoolers (20 girls and 15 boys) between 3 and 5 years old, where 63% were between 3 and 4 years old. IC was evaluated with the Stroop test "Sun and Moon", WM with two subtests of the WPPSI-IV battery (location and recognition) and for CF, Dimensional Change Card Sort Task was applied. PA levels were determined using the Actigraph GT3X + accelerometer, measured during 5 school days. Butte's cutoff points were applied. Statistically, was used a univariate and exploratory analysis for the variables of PA with functional data and ordering of curves methodology. For EF and its correlations with PA, multiple linear regression was used in the scores obtained for WM and Fisher's exact test for the results of IC and CF, establishing a significance level of 10%.

Results: 81% of childs performed sedentary activity. Males between 4 to 5 years are more physically active. In EF: 83% had CF results consistent with age.In WM the highest percentages were in limit categories to 31% and 21%, and in IC 50% of preschoolers rated as good, so,  best performance being better at 5 years (p-value: 0.02); in WM,best results were childs raised by both parents and with high educational levels  (p-value: 0.04). Just one clinically significant association was found between male sex, high socioeconomic status, siblings, higher levels of PA and better performance in WM.
Literature reported the positive impact of PA on the development of EF, however, study shows that sedentary doesn't seem to be related to development of the EF evaluated.

Conclusion(s): Early childhood is a key moment for acquire habit of PA,however most of the participants are sedentary, mainly girls.
No marked relationship was found between PA and EF performance, which suggests that the influence of PA on EF occurs when its level increases. Factors of social context, such as parents' educational level and socioeconomic status, influencing the modeling of actions and experiences for the preschool.

Implications: Increase levels of PA promote the development of EF.It's necessary physiotherapist could position himself as a promoter of body movement at school to evaluate the impact of PA programs have on school cognitive development and potential benefit in learning processes.

Funding, acknowledgements:
High levels of physical activity potentiate the neurodevelopment of children in early ages

Keywords: Physical activity levels, Executive functions, Preschool.

Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Committee: Facultad de Medicina

Ethics number: 004-008-18