There is still little research examining the relationship between water consumption in school and specific cognitive performance. The aim of this cluster-randomized intervention CogniDROP trial was to investigate the short-term effects of drinking water during the morning on executive functions. The participants were from the 5^th and 6^th grade of a comprehensive school in Germany (14 classes, n = 250, 61.6% boys). The classes were randomly divided into an intervention group (an education on healthy drinking behavior and a promotion of water consumption) and a control group. A battery of computerized tasks (Switch Task, 2-Back Task, Corsi Block-Tapping Task and Flanker Task) was used to test executive functions. Urine color and thirst were evaluated to check the hydration level. Physical activity over the past 24 h was measured using GT3X ActiGraph. A non-linear relationship was observed between the amount of drinking water and executive performance. Consuming water up to 1000 mL (or up to 50% of Total Water Intake) had benefits during memory tasks. Urine color and number of steps on the study day correlated with water consumed. The results suggest that a water-friendly environment supports school-aged children in adequate water intake resulting in better cognitive performance, especially short-term memory.

This study investigated the relationship between different levels of physical fitness and cognitive functions in boys and girls. Schoolchildren from a comprehensive school in Germany (n = 211, 39% girls, 5th and 6th grade) attended regular or sport-focused classes with different numbers of physical education (PE) classes per week (3 vs. 5–6 h). Performance of physical fitness was tested according to endurance, strength, speed, coordination and flexibility. Four computerized instruments (switch task, 2-back task, Corsi block-tapping task and flanker task) were used to test cognitive functions. Additional predictors, sex, age, PE class, Body Mass Index and physical activity, were included in analyses. The results showed that physical fitness was associated with improved attention and memory functions in children, although the associations were mostly small. After Bonferroni correction, mainly coordination was related to improved cognition. Physical activity, i.e., step counts, PE class and sex were associated with specific cognitive outcomes. These findings may be important for effective health promotion, and supporting children’s education in the school environment. Sex-specific physical activities in school could potentially lead to greater cognitive benefits in children. Randomized trials are needed to replicate these results.

This systematic review aims to evaluate previous findings on the dose-related effects of short- and long-term physical activities (PA) on executive functions (EF) using a new approach by considering the success of experimental manipulation. Eight electronic databases were searched between May 2021 and September 2021. Randomized control trials among healthy children (6–12 years) were screened. Data extraction included the measurement of experimental manipulations and pre–post measurements of physical fitness. After identifying 1774 records, 17 studies were included (nine short-term PA and eight long-term PA). The overall results suggest that a single 20-min PA may be overwhelming for short-term EF in children up to 9 years of age but may be beneficial for children 9 years and older. A dose-related relationship between PA and EF could not be verified in long-term studies, which is possibly due to insufficient fitness gains and participation in the intervention. Short- and long-term endurance and coordination training could improve children’s executive functions, but so far, there is no specific evidence on the duration, frequency, and intensity of PA. Not quantity but quality of intervention seems to be important in this context. Further intervention studies are needed that control for the characteristics of the experimental manipulation.

Children’s cognitive performance can be influenced by behaviors such as eating breakfast in the morning. The aim of this analysis was to investigate the mediating effects of breakfast behavior and other lifestyle habits on eye-hand coordination and attention. In a secondary analysis of the CogniDROP study, children from the 5th and 6th grade of a comprehensive school in Germany (n = 223) performed a simple computerized Visual Attention Task and answered a questionnaire about behavioral patterns, i.e., skipping breakfast on a school day, frequency of physical activity (PA) outside school, and nighttime sleep. An association matrix was constructed to show the relationship between the variables. Almost 11% of children left home in the morning without breakfast, more than 9.5% of children reported poor sleep quality, 24.9% slept less than the recommended 9 h, and girls were insufficiently physically active. Sleep duration, bedtime, and PA correlated with skipping breakfast. Better sleep quality was positively related to reaction time in the Visual Attention Task. Overall, the data suggest that unfavorable behaviors in children tend to run in packs, just as skipping breakfast in the morning seems to be associated with other unfavorable habits, which impairs children’s eye-hand coordination and attention.

Problemstellung: Visuelle Defizite im Sport fallen besonders ins Gewicht, weil das visuelle System alle Aktivitäten beim Sport kontrolliert und korrigiert. Im Sport besteht aber auch das Risiko, eine Augenverletzung zu erleiden, z.B. durch Balltreffer oder in Zweikampfsituationen. Ziel ist es, aktuelle (nationale) Zahlen zu Augenverletzungen im Vereins- und Schulsport zu präsentieren sowie das Risiko von Augenverletzungen in verschiedenen Sportarten aufzuzeigen. Methoden: Ausgewertet wurden 2.392 Augenverletzungen auf der Basis von 221.273 im Zeitraum von 1987-2017 erfassten Sportverletzungen (Vereinssport) aus der Sportunfalldatenbank der Ruhr-Universität Bochum und der ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG (Düsseldorf). Zusätzlich wurden Augenverletzungen im Schulsport auf Basis der Daten der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung (Berichtsjahr 2019) analysiert. Ergebnisse: 1,08% aller Sportverletzungen im Vereinssport sind Augenverletzungen. 19,7% dieser Verletzungen mussten im Krankenhaus behandelt werden, 13,9% mussten operiert werden, 56,9% der Verletzten waren arbeitsunfähig. Mit über 50% dominieren die stumpfen Traumata, z.B. Prellungen. Augenverletzungen sind in den Sportarten Wasserball, Squash, Badminton und Tennis im Kollektiv der Vereinssportunfälle stark überrepräsentiert (Injury Proportion Ratio (IPR)=5,1-8,8). Im Schulsport liegt der Anteil an Augenverletzungen bei 1,83%. Diskussion: Augenverletzungen im Vereins- und Schulsport sind zwar relativ selten, häufig aber schwerwiegend. Basierend auf den Hinweisen, die sich aus der erhöhten IPR bei einigen Sportarten ergeben, sollten weitere Studien das Verletzungsrisiko für Augenverletzungen in verschiedenen Sportarten genauer analysieren. Bei Sportarten mit erhöhtem Augenverletzungsrisiko sollten (schul-)sporttaugliche Brillen (plus Augenschutz) verwendet werden.