Researchers seeking alternatives to the use of drugs to treat ADHD in children are taking a closer look at exercise as a prescription.
A recent study found regular, half-hour sessions of aerobic activity before school helped young children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder become more attentive and less moody. Other research found a single bout of exercise improved students' attention and academic skills.
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The prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children has grown sharply, as has the use of medications to treat it.
- ADHD is a neurobehavioral or neurodevelopmental disorder. Symptoms can include difficulty paying attention and controlling impulsive behavior.
- About 11% of children in the U.S., or 6.4 million, have been diagnosed with ADHD. The condition affects many more boys than girls.
- There is no simple test for ADHD. Diagnoses usually are based on evaluations by teachers and parents.
- Treatment often involves medication and behavioral interventions. Among all children in the U.S., 6.1% take an ADHD medication.
- Symptoms sometimes lessen with age, though ADHD often continues into adulthood.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mayo Clinic
It isn't clear whether physical exercise offers particular benefits to children with symptoms of ADHD, since students with typical development also showed improvements after the sessions. Children with the condition have greater-than-normal difficulty paying attention and may exhibit impulsive behavior, among other symptoms.
Some doctors who specialize in treating children diagnosed with ADHD say they often incorporate exercise in the therapy. And some teachers have begun getting students up from their desks for short bursts of physical activity, finding it helps them pay attention to their studies.
"It benefits all the kids, but I definitely see where it helps the kids with ADHD a lot," said Jill Fritz, a fourth-grade teacher at Rutledge Pearson Elementary school in Jacksonville, Fla. "It really helps them get back on track and get focused."
Growing numbers of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated 11% of children had an ADHD diagnosis in 2011, the latest data available. That was up from 7.8% in 2003. Among all children in the U.S., 6.1% in 2011 were taking an ADHD medication, such as Adderall and Ritalin, up from 4.8% in 2007.
In a study published online Tuesday in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, students in kindergarten through second grade did 31 minutes of aerobic physical activity before the start of school for 12 weeks. Another group of students engaged in a sedentary, classroom-based activity. The study, conducted at schools in Vermont and Indiana, involved 202 students.
The participants included children with typical development and others who were classified as at-risk for developing ADHD because of elevated symptoms of the disorder based on parent and teacher assessments.
The study found children in the exercise groups showed greater improvements in areas such as attention and mood than did those in the sedentary groups. The benefits of the exercise applied similarly to typically developing children as well as children with ADHD symptoms.
"This is the first large-scale demonstration of improvements in ADHD symptoms from aerobic physical activity using a randomized controlled trial methodology," said Betsy Hoza, lead author of the study and a professor of psychological science at the University of Vermont. "This shows promise as a new avenue of treatment for ADHD but more work needs to be done before we know for sure if it really is," she said.
Dr. Hoza described the benefits as "moderate" but said the results were comparable with what would be expected from an ADHD behavioral intervention with a trained professional.
