Effects of physical exercise on attention deficit and other major symptoms in children with ADHD: A meta-analysis

Effects of physical exercise on attention deficit and other major symptoms in children with ADHD: A meta-analysis

Authors
Sun, W. Yu, M. Zhou, X.
Year
2022
Journal
Psychiatry Research
Volume
311
Pages
114509
PURPOSE: To explore the effects of physical exercise intervention on the cardinal symptoms, motor skills and executive function among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Literature searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed in PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, CBM, VIP and Wanfang databases from the time of database construction to March 28, 2021. Screening was conducted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Cochrane bias risk assessment tools were used to evaluate methodological quality. Relevant data were analyzed with RevMan5.3.5 software, and Stata16.0 was used for publication bias tests. RESULTS: A total of 15 RCTs with 734 subjects were included. The meta-analysis showed that physical exercise can improve the attention of ADHD children (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-1.10, -0.11], p < 0.01), executive function (SMD = 1.22, 95% CI [0.61, 1.82], p < 0.01), and motor skills (SMD = 0.67, 95% CI [0.22, 1.12], p < 0.01). There were no significant effects on hyperactivity (SMD = 0.06, 95% CI [-0.26, 0.37], p = 0.72), depression (SMD = -0.72, 95% CI [-1.55, 0.11], p = 0.09), social problems (SMD = -0.27, 95% CI [-0.64, 0.09], p = 0.14), or aggressive behavior (SMD=-0.24, 95% CI [-0.69, -0.21], p = 0.30). Intervention duration and frequency might be the source of heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise can help alleviate the symptoms of ADHD in children. Specifically, it can improve attention, executive function, and motor skills.

Oversett med Google Translate
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Type of intervention

Treatment and Child Welfare Interventions

Topic

Mental Health Problems and Disorders

ADHD

Intervention

Public Health Interventions

Physical Activity

Age group

School Aged Children (6-12 years)

Adolescents (13-18 years)

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