Global Journal of Medical Research, K: Interdisciplinary, Volume 22 Issue 4

a. Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance The association between physical activity and cognitive ability has been documented in several studies around the world. A study by Hillman et al., in 2008 demonstrated that both human showed a positive effect of aerobic fitness training on multiple aspects of cognition and brain function 44 . In the following year, Charles et al., explored the association between physical activity and cognitive performance in children. The overall finding of the paper suggested that even a single moderately intense aerobic exercise session was enough to impact the cognitive performance in children 45 . Similar results were observed in the prior studies done by Jonatan R. Ruiz et al., 2010 and 2011 respectively among adolescents. In the study done in 2010 the results suggested, participants who were engaged in any sort of physical activity had significantly better cognitive performance as opposed to those that were not 46 . The study in 2011 done by David Martínez- Gómez et al., in Spanish population also showed similar results, the adolescent girls who actively commuted to school were seen to have a positive effect in cognitive performance 47 . Another comparable study by Erikson et al., in the year 2015, summarized the beneficial effects of physical activity on brain and cognition in growing children. This study conducted in Illinois, portrayed greater duration of physical exercise and higher physical fitness to be associated with better cognitive health and brain functions 48 . Cognitive and motor performances are interlinked. b. Influence of Physical Activity and Exercise Intensity on Motor Performance Motor response is the voluntary and involuntary movement of the muscles of the body in response to external and internal stimuli. Motor performance is the efficiency of execution of such movements. Ina study conducted by Rikli et al., in 1986 stated that there was a significant difference in reaction time, flexibility and grip strength in people who played golf than older inactive women 11 . Another similar study in Denmark in 2012 showed that here was a strong positive correlation between motor performance and physical activity in boys 49 . Conversely it was also seen that motor difficulties increased as time spent doing any kind of physical activity decreased 50 . Motor ability and cognitive performance can be measured using ruler drop test and letter cancellation. These two techniques are seen to be used to measure the neurological influence of physical activity 51,52 . Extensive literature search revealed a study improving reaction time when carrying low weighing backpacks 4 . Studies were not found when schoolbag carriage was evaluated in the light of cognitive ability. There is a severe dearth of literature on the schoolbag carriage and neurological performance front and must be explored. Moreover, the neurological performance, namely, motor activity and cognitive ability is seen to be linked to the sensation of thirst 53 . 5. Neurological Performance and Thirst Motor and Cognitive ability plays an important role in the learning process of the school children 54 . These two parameters are affected by a plethora of factors, one of them being thirst. Parsons and others conducted a study in 2000 on adults, concluding thirst to have regulatory effects on cognitive operations involving the prefrontal cortex 55 . In 2009, Caroline and colleagues indicated that consuming water benefits cognitive performance in children 42 . Another study done in the same year by D’anci et al., also stated that mild dehydration had a negative influence on mood and cognitive performance in young adults 42 . Similar to prior studies, Edmond et al., suggested water consumption to be positively correlated to both subjective thirst and cognitive/motor performance in mature and young adults 53 . A recent study done in 2020 by Goodman et al., on male participants suggested exacerbation of mental fatigue due to thirst 10 . In a 2018 study by Karthika et al., it was observed that males experiencing increased amounts of stress tend to have increased reaction time which shows the stress delays the processing of neural information 12 . Thus, thirst and exercise together has significant impact in scholastic performance involving cognitive and motor response. III. C onclusion Physical activity of schoolbag carriage affects several physiological functions, factors and responses. Some facets explored in relation to physical activity remain uninvestigated for schoolbag carriage. Some of the factors have been highlighted here-  Ocular Fatigue  Thirst  Saliva Viscosity  Cognitive Performance  Motor Performance The overall fatigue induced by heavy schoolbag carriage may be reflected in ocular muscles. Since vision is very important in following the school curriculum, it is imperative to evaluate the ocular eye fatigue. Physical activity induces higher water utilization, thereby causing dehydration which in turn results in thirst which manifests as increased salivary viscosity. Thirst and physical activity can also modulate certain neurological functions like alacrity, cognitive and motor functions. School students are most vulnerable to this unstructured exposure to excess physical activity. Any physiological damage during developmental or formative years might lead to long term health issues. This field of work should be further explored considering all the parameters at once to get a more accurate representation of the real world scenario and prevent school children from any probable health hazards that 4 Year 2022 Global Journal of Medical Research Volume XXII Issue IV Version I ( D ) K © 2022 Global Journals Investigating the Facets of Physical Activity Related to Schoolbag Carriage- Highlighting the Lacunae that Exists