The Efficacy of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Dataset.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the efficacy of regular, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Method: We performed a systematic search of relevant databases (e.g. Embase, PubMed). Two independent researchers undertook screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Studies that included children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, implemented regular MVPA, assessed ADHD symptoms on a clinically valid rating scale and used a randomized controlled study design were included in the analysis. Primary outcome was a total score of ADHD core symptoms at post intervention. Secondary outcomes included ADHD core symptoms at follow up, functional impairment in academic and social contexts, dropout, and adverse events at post intervention. Hedges’ g was calculated to pool continuous outcomes (Odd’s ratio for dichotomous outcomes) through random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane ‘Risk of Bias’ assessment tool (RoB2). This review was conducted in accordance to the Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement [1] and registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42019142166, date of registration: 07/10/2019). Results: Out of 9178 identified studies, 11 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The analysis resulted in small significant effects on total ADHD core symptoms (n = 11; g = 0.33; 95% CI -0.63 to -0.02; p = 0.035) and moderate significant effects on functional impairment in the social context (n = 5; g = -0.54; 95% CI -0.98 to -0.09; p = 0.018) in favour of the MVPA intervention. No difference was found for odds in dropout in the MVPA or control group (n = 8; OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.20 to 2.64; p = 0.637). Conclusion: MVPA could serve as a holistic treatment approach for ADHD, since it targets ADHD symptoms as well as related impairment. However, due to several methodological difficulties of the included studies, highly-controlled RCTs are necessary to increase the robustness and understanding of these effects.