Effects of a 16-Week Brain Breaks® Intervention in Mathematics Lessons: Attitudes and Levels of Physical Activity in Primary School-Aged Children

Background: The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of active Brain Breaks® implemented during mathematics lessons on attitudes towards PA and levels of PA in primary school-aged children, with particular emphasis on their potential applicability in inclusive classroom settings. Methods: A total of 229 12-to-14-year-olds were recruited and assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed active Brain Breaks® programs over a period of 16 weeks. Outcomes of PA included attitudes towards PA and the level of PA. Results: Post-intervention data revealed that the experimental group significantly increased self-efficacy attitude scale towards PA (mean diff. = 0.38, p = 0.002) in comparison with the control group (mean diff. = 0.14, p = 0.261). After the intervention program, the difference between groups showed significant decreases in PA levels during evenings (mean diff. = −0.26, p = 0.046) and for every day for the last week (mean diff. = −0.35, p < 0.001) in the experimental group, while the control group exhibited increases (during evenings) or maintained similar values (for every day for the last week). Conclusions: This study shows that self-efficacy is the most prominent attitude scale towards PA that can be changed effectively following active Brain Breaks® interventions.