A narrative review of the effect of sport and exercise on ADHD symptomatology in children and adolescents with ADHD
ISSN: 1361-9322
Article publication date: 6 June 2023
Issue publication date: 15 August 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition with community prevalence globally of 2%–7% (M = 5%; Sayal et al., 2018). Clinicians are routinely encouraged to explain to children and young people the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, including exercise (NICE NG87, 2018). Exercise has been proposed as a safe and low-cost adjunctive approach for ADHD and is reported to be accompanied by positive effects on several aspects of executive functioning (EF). The purpose of this narrative review was to synthesise the contemporary randomised control trial (RCT) studies that examine the effect of sport, physical activity and movement on EF in children and adolescents with ADHD.
Design/methodology/approach
A narrative review approach with a systematic literature search using PRISMA guidelines for screening and selecting relevant systematic reviews was used. The final review included four peer-review systematic reviews (>2019).
Findings
The results identified four RCT meta-analyses and findings showed that children and adolescents with lower baseline cognitive performance demonstrated greater improvements in functioning after physical activity interventions, particularly for tasks with higher executive function demands, where baseline performance reaches an optimal level. Findings suggest that 10–20 min of acute moderate-high-intensity exercise interventions (cycling/running) appeared to have positive effects on indices of inhibitory control. Preliminary evidence suggests that as little as 5 min of jumping exercises improved inhibitory control. Sixty to eighty minutes of moderately intense, repeated (chronic) exercise appeared to demonstrate the greatest beneficial impact on selective attention.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first to present the extant literature on the effect of physical activity and sport on symptoms of young people with ADHD. It presents evidence to suggest that exercise with progressively increasing cognitive demands may have positive effects for children with ADHD, specifically in terms of improving cognitive flexibility. Further large-scale clinical trials are needed to confirm the positive effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning in children with ADHD.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Erratum: It has come to the attention of the publisher of the article, Meggs, J., Young, S. and Mckeown, A. (2023), “A narrative review of the effect of sport and exercise on ADHD symptomatology in children and adolescents with ADHD”, Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-07-2022-0045, omitted the following references from the Reference list: Ismail and Shapiro, 2019; Roselló et al., 2020; Kaisler et al., 2020; Hillman et al., 2014; Kao et al., 2020; Raiker et al., 2012; Milinski and Wedekind, 1998; Sonuga-Barke, 2005; Sagvolden et al., 2005; Welsch et al., 2021; Chang et al., 2012; Hung et al., 2016; Kang et al., 2011; Best, 2010; Drollette et al., 2014; Alvarez-Bueno et al., 2017; Ward and Allport, 1997; Lezak et al., 2004; Simson et al., 1977; Eriksen and Eriksen, 1974; Bowie and Harvey, 2006; Seiffer et al., 2021; Garber et al., 2011; Da Silva et al., 2019; Kantak et al., 2010; Maclin et al., 2011; Pontifex et al., 2013; Suarez-Manzano et al., 2018; van der Fels et al., 2015; Rezaei et al., 2019; Bustamante et al., 2016; Sayal, Prasad, Daley, Ford, and Coghill, 2018; NICE NG87, 2018; DSM-5; 2013; Durston, 2003; Sergeant, 2005; Medina et al., 2010; Verret et al., 2012; Van Den Berg (2011). This error was introduced in the copyediting process and has now been corrected in the online version. The reference list has been corrected to include the above citations. The publisher sincerely apologises for this error and any inconvenience caused.
Citation
Meggs, J., Young, S. and Mckeown, A. (2023), "A narrative review of the effect of sport and exercise on ADHD symptomatology in children and adolescents with ADHD", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 303-321. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-07-2022-0045
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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