SynthesisJournal of attention disorders2022
The Efficacy of Physical Activity for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Journal of attention disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The impact of physical activity on children's attention and math performance: A meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Beyond binary comparisons: a Bayesian dose-response meta-analysis of exercise on executive function in children and adolescents with ADHD.Pediatric research · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of exercise on anxiety and psychiatric comorbidities in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Intervention effect of a single exercise session on executive function in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a three-level meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Optimal exercise intensity for improving executive function in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: systematic review and network meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of aerobic exercise on the improvement of executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of physical exercise on anxiety depression and emotion regulation in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of various physical exercise interventions on executive functions and related symptoms in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Modernizing behavioral parent training program for ADHD with mHealth strategies, telehealth groups, and health behavior curriculum: a randomized pilot trial.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2024Trial
- Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: the Mediating Effects of Mental Health.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Physical Fitness Profiles Among Children and Adolescents With ADHD and ASD: A Comparison With Typically Developing Peers.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Clinician Perspectives on Incorporating Physical Activity and Sleep Prescriptions Using eHealth for Youth With Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders: Qualitative Focus Group Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- The Role of Physical Activity in ADHD Management: Diagnostic, Digital and Non-Digital Interventions, and Lifespan Considerations.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Physical and Extracurricular Activity in Adolescents With and Without ADHD: Examining Group Differences and the Role of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms.Journal of attention disorders · 2023Article
- The efficacy of physical exercise interventions on mental health, cognitive function, and ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents with ADHD: an umbrella review.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Alpha modulation via transcranial alternating current stimulation in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Review
- Effects of different physical activity interventions on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
- Device-Based Movement Behaviors, Executive Function, and Academic Skills among African American Children with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the efficacy of regular, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsRCTs including children and adolescents with clinically diagnosed ADHD, implementing regular MVPA, and assessing ADHD core-symptoms on a valid rating scale post-intervention (primary outcome) were included. Outcomes were pooled through random-effects meta-analysis. Prospero registration: CRD42019142166.
resultsMVPA had a small effect on total ADHD core symptoms (
conclusionsMVPA could serve as an alternative treatment for ADHD. New RCTs are necessary to increase the understanding of the effect regarding frequency, intensity, type of MVPA interventions, and differential effects on age groups.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.