Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence to support the benefits of physical activity on children’s cognitions and behavior. Although children with ADHD are known to be at risk for deficits in cognitive processing, specifically executive functioning which controls the organization, regulation, and planning of behavior, little evidence exists about the effect of vigorous physical activity on executive functioning and the accompanying behavioral and inattention symptoms of ADHD. Given the overwhelming research supporting the need for early intervention in this population and the dearth of research examining the effects of physical activity in children, the present study investigated the effects of a 16 week physical activity intervention in an elementary sample of typical-developing children as well as those at-risk for ADHD. The findings indicated no significant relationship between the physical activity intervention and beneficial outcomes for student executive functioning or ADHD symptomology, although a moderator effect was found for low and high intensity on student executive functioning suggesting that low and high intensity physical activity may improve student executive functioning. Implications for school personnel are provided given the study findings.

摘要

越来越多的证据支持体育活动对儿童认知和行为的益处。尽管已知患有 ADHD 的儿童存在认知处理缺陷的风险，特别是控制行为组织、调节和计划的执行功能，但几乎没有证据表明剧烈体育活动对执行功能的影响以及随之而来的行为和注意力不集中多动症的症状。鉴于支持对这一人群进行早期干预的必要性的压倒性研究以及检查体育活动对儿童影响的研究的缺乏，本研究调查了 16 周体育活动干预对典型发育儿童的基本样本的影响，如以及那些有 ADHD 风险的人。研究结果表明，体育活动干预与学生执行功能或 ADHD 症状的有益结果之间没有显着关系，尽管发现低强度和高强度对学生执行功能的调节作用表明低强度和高强度的体育活动可能会改善学生的执行功能. 根据研究结果提供了对学校人员的影响。