Effect of Jogging Duration on Concentration Levels among University Students

Amadeo Wibisono, Aila Johanna, Julia Rahadian Tanjung, Nawanto Agung Prastowo, Ignatio Rika Haryono

Abstract


Background: Concentration is an important component of cognitive function. However, many college students experience reduced attention spans, often lasting only 10 to 15 minutes. Previous studies have shown that poor concentration levels remain common among university students. Physical exercise, such as jogging, may improve brain function and enhance concentration. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of jogging duration on concentration levels among university student.

Methods: This experimental study was conducted in 2024, involving medical students from a university in Jakarta, Indonesia. Participants were screened using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) and selected through random sampling. Respondents were divided into three groups: a 10-minute jogging group, a 30-minute jogging group, and a control group without jogging intervention. The intervention was conducted for 8 weeks at each participant’s location. Concentration levels were assessed before and after the intervention using the Concentration Grid Test, administered at the university. Data were analyzed using ANOVA to compare changes in concentration scores and the Kruskal-Wallis to compare post-intervention scores among groups.

Results: A total of 28 students participated, with females comprising the majority of participants (64.3%; n=18). The 10-minute jogging group demonstrated a significant improvement in concentration levels compared with the control group (p=0.004). Concentration Grid Test scores increased by 4.6 points in the 10-minute jogging group (p<0.001), and by 3.8 points in the 30-minute jogging group (p=0.003).

Conclusions: A 10-minute jogging session improves concentration levels among university students, suggesting that short-duration physical activity provide cognitive benefits and may support academic performance and well-being.


Keywords


Concentration level, concentration grid test, jogging duration, PAR-Q

Full Text:

PDF

References


  1. Sörqvist P, Dahlström Ö, Karlsson T, Rönnberg J. Concentration: the neural underpinnings of how cognitive load shields against distraction. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:221. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00221
  2. Sörqvist P, Marsh JE. How concentration shields against distraction. Curr Dir Psychol Sci . 2015;24(4):267–72. doi: 10.1177/0963721415577356
  3. Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. How the brain enables us to rapidly focus attention. 2018 [cited 2024 Apr 14]. Available from: https://qbi.uq.edu.au/article/2018/12/how-brain-enables-us-rapidly-focus-attention
  4. Córdova Olivera P, Gasser Gordillo P, Naranjo Mejía H, La Fuente Taborga I, Grajeda Chacón A, et al. Academic stress as a predictor of mental health in university students. Cogent Education. 2023;10(2):2232686. doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2023.2232686
  5. Khan MA, Al-Jahdali H. The consequences of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance. Neurosciences [Ryadh]. 2023;28(2):91–9. doi: 10.17712/nsj.2023.2.20220108
  6. Le HV. An investigation into factors affecting concentration of university students. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. 2021;3(6):7–12. doi:10.32996/jeltal.2021.3.6.2
  7. Schorb A, Niebauer J, Aichhorn W, Schiepek G, Scherr J, Claussen MC. Overtraining from a sports psychiatry perspective. Dtsch Z Sportmed. 2021;72(6):271–9. doi: 10.5960/dzsm.2021.496.
  8. Slimani M, Znazen H, Bragazzi NL, Zguira MS, Tod D. The effect of mental fatigue on cognitive and aerobic performance in adolescent active endurance athletes: insights from a randomized counterbalanced, cross-over trial. J Clin Med. 2018;7(12):510. doi: 10.3390/jcm7120510.
  9. Granero-Jiménez J, López-Rodríguez MM, Dobarrio-Sanz I, Cortés-Rodríguez AE. Influence of physical exercise on psychological well-being of young adults: a quantitative study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(7):4282. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074282.
  10. Lestari H, Setiasih W, Lovelly Vadincha A, Bakhtiar S, Muzzamil F. Sarapan memengaruhi tingkat konsentrasi belajar mahasiswa Universitas Bhayangkara. Parade Riset Mahasiswa.2023;1(1):575–86.
  11. Paceli V, Setianingrum EL, Telussa AS, Nurina RL. Hubungan kualitas tidur dengan konsentrasi pada mahasiswa Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Nusacendana. Cendana Medical Journal. 2022;2(24):301–8. doi: 10.35508/cmj.v10i2.9143
  12. Nethravathi R, Sreenivas M. Role of sports participation on attention and concentration among children. Int J Indian Psychol. 2020;8(1):330–5. doi:10.25215/0801.041
  13. Malm C, Jakobsson J, Isaksson A. Physical activity and sports—real health benefits: a review with insight into the public health of Sweden. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(5):127. doi: 10.3390/sports7050127
  14. Pickersgill JW, Turco C V, Ramdeo K, Rehsi RS, Foglia SD, Nelson AJ. The combined influences of exercise, diet and sleep on neuroplasticity. Front Psychol. 2022;13:831819. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.831819
  15. Marques A, Marconcin P, Werneck AO, Ferrari G, Gouveia ÉR, Kliegel M, et al. Bidirectional association between physical activity and dopamine across adulthood—a systematic review. Brain Sci. 2021;11(7):829. doi:10.3390/brainsci11070829
  16. Sun W, Yu M, Zhou X. Effects of physical exercise on attention deficit and other major symptoms in children with ADHD: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2022;311:114509. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114509
  17. Li M, Fang Q, Li J, Zheng X, Tao J, Yan X, et al. The effect of chinese traditional exercise-baduanjin on physical and psychological well-being of college students: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(7):e0130544. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130544
  18. van den Berg V, Saliasi E, de Groot RHM, Chinapaw MJM, Singh AS. Improving cognitive performance of 9-12 years old children: just dance? A randomized controlled trial. Front Psychol. 2019;10:174. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00174
  19. Warburton DER, Bredin SSD, Jamnik VK, Gledhill N. Validation of the PAR-Q+ and ePARmed-X+. Health & Fitness Journal of Canada. 2011;4(2):38–46. doi:10.14288/hfjc.v4i2.151
  20. Harris DV, Harris BL. The athlete’s guide to sports psychological: mental skills for physical people. Champaign, Illinois USA: Human Kinetics;1984.
  21. Yabe H, Kono K, Onoyama A, Kiyota A, Moriyama Y, Okada K, et al. Predicting a target exercise heart rate that reflects the anaerobic threshold in nonbeta‐blocked hemodialysis patients: the Karvonen and heart rate reserve formulas. Ther Apher Dial. 2021;25(6):884–9. doi: 10.1111/1744-9987.13628
  22. Lee K, Bae H, Jang S. Effect of exercise combined with natural stimulation on korean college students’ concentration and positive psychological capital: a pilot study. Healthcare (Switzerland). 2022;10(4):673. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10040673
  23. Loprinzi PD, Kane CJ. Exercise and cognitive function: a randomized controlled trial examining acute exercise and free-living physical activity and sedentary effects. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(4):450–60. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.12.023
  24. Linde K, Alfermann D. Single versus combined cognitive and physical activity effects on fluid cognitive abilities of healthy older adults: a 4-month randomized controlled trial with follow-up. J Aging Phys Act. 2014;22(3):302–13. doi:10.1123/japa.2012-0149.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15850/amj.v13n2.4231

Article Metrics

Abstract view : 11 times
PDF - 4 times


 This Journal indexed by

                  

           

 

Creative Commons License
AMJ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

 


View My Stats