A bout of exercise may help children with ADHD pay attention, but not memory

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   Pooled from 14 studies of 446 children and teenagers with ADHD, aged 6 to 16. Most were boys, and about two in three took ADHD medicine, in the studies that reported it.

2. 02

   What they did

   Each study had the children do one burst of exercise, such as running, cycling, trampolining or active video games, then tested them. The other group rested, watched a video, read or stretched.

3. 03

   What happened

   Children who exercised first did better on attention tests than those who rested. Memory showed no clear difference, and two other skills improved, but the paper's numbers disagree, so we can't give sizes. The advice on how long and when to exercise rests on unclear comparisons.

What the review found

1. HelpedFocus

   Children with ADHD who exercised first did better on attention tests than those who rested.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs children who rested or did a quiet task · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Children with ADHD who exercised first also switched between tasks more easily than those who rested.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs children who rested or did a quiet task · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. HelpedOther outcomes

   Children with ADHD who exercised first also did better at holding back quick responses than those who rested.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs children who rested or did a quiet task · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study

4. No differenceOther outcomes

   Children with ADHD who exercised first showed no clear difference in memory from those who rested.

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs children who rested or did a quiet task · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source