In addition to being healthier than the bus and the car, walking to the institute improves the cognitive performance of adolescents, according to a study in which several Spanish universities have participated. What’s more,the longer the journey, the greater the benefitsobtained.
The researchers selected a sample of 1,700 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 residing in various Spanish cities, and analyzed the mode of travel to the educational center, cognitive performance through an educational skills test, as well as various variables related to health status. overweight, body mass index and family socioeconomic status.
The results, which are published in the journalArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, revealed that the girls who gowalking to the institute they have better performancethan those who go by bus or car. In addition, those who spend more than 15 minutes walking to class also show higher cognitive performance than those who live closer and take less time to walk.
“During adolescence, the plasticity of the brain is greater than in any other period of life, which makes this stage the most suitable for stimulating cognitive function,” the authors explain. However, paradoxically, adolescence is the period of life where there is a greater decline in physical activity, which is much more pronounced in girls. Therefore, according to the researchers, “inactive adolescents could be missing a very important stimulus to improve their learning and academic performance.”
The research has been carried out by scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Granada, the University of Zaragoza and the CSIC of Madrid.
