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ADHD & Exercise in Children

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The European Journal of Pediatrics has recently published the results of a randomized and controlled trial evaluating the effects of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on ADHD symptoms and behavioral inhibition among children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sixty male participants ages 7-10 were assigned either to a control group (no exercise), MICT, or HIIT for 12 weeks, with the MICT group running for 20 minutes at 70-75% of individual VO2max, and the HIIT group alternating at 100% and 50% of VO2max for 1 minute each. The study's outcomes, captured both before and 48 hours post-intervention, included the Children’s Symptom Questionnaire (CIS-4), a behavioral rating scale that measures core ADHD symptoms, and go/no-go tasks, which assess aspects of executive function, including behavioral inhibition.

Compared to the control group, both exercise interventions significantly improved behavioral components, including attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, as well as correct responses in the Go task, with HIIT also outperforming in erroneous responses and correct reaction time in both the Go and the No-Go tasks, compared to the control group. Thus, overall, both exercise groups improved attention deficits and behavioral inhibition compared to the control, with superior effectiveness of HIIT vs. MICT.

This adds to a large body of evidence suggesting that adding structured exercise can be a valuable intervention for children with ADHD. For example, the journal Psychiatry Research published a meta-analysis in 2022 that included 15 randomized and controlled trials and over 700 children, noted improvements in attention, executive function, and motor skills; a 2023 meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Public Health had similar findings, with some insight into the types of exercise that may target specific executive functions.

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