SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2024
Effect of aerobic exercise on the improvement of executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 5 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Intervention effects of long-term exercise on executive function in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a three-level meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Journal of global health · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of different physical activity modalities on executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of vigorous-intensity exercise on the working memory and inhibitory control among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the impact of different types of exercise on working memory in children with ADHD: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of the dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise and executive function in children.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Physical Activity Interventions on Cognitive Flexibility in Children with ADHD: A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of Physical Activity on Executive Function and Emotional Regulation in Children and Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Effects of aerobic exercise on executive function in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- The Role of Physical Activity in ADHD Management: Diagnostic, Digital and Non-Digital Interventions, and Lifespan Considerations.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Benefits of multi-micronutrient nutritional formula combined with aerobic exercise on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: improvements in symptoms, cognition, executive function, and sleep.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Unraveling the spectrum: overlap, distinctions, and nuances of ADHD and ASD in children.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: Aerobic exercise (AE) interventions are beginning to be used as an emerging adjunctive treatment modality in the treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, to date, there is no substantial evidence to support the improved effects of aerobic exercise intervention in children with ADHD aged 6-12 years. This study aims to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise therapy on executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder aged 6-12 years. Method: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using PubMed and Web of Science. The cut-off date was June 1, 2023. The aim was to assess the impact of aerobic exercise interventions on children with ADHD and all randomized controlled trials eligible for aerobic exercise interventions for children with ADHD were included. Nine randomized controlled trials were screened for eligibility for systematic evaluation, and the nine studies were assessed for risk of bias using the PEDro score and the GRADE Quality of Evidence Evaluation System for quality grading of outcome indicators. After testing for heterogeneity, a random-effects model was selected for analysis. Finally, meta-analyses and regression analyses were performed on the core functions (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory) and subgroups of the nine studies on executive function using Revman 5.4 and Stata 16.0. Results: The risk of bias evaluation showed a mean PEDro score of 7.78, and of the nine studies, two were rated as having excellent methodological quality, while the remaining seven had a good level of evidence, and the GRADE evidence evaluation showed that the outcome indicators were all of moderate quality. Inhibitory control [SMD = 0.83,95% CI (0.37-1.29), Z = 3.51, Conclusion: Aerobic exercise therapy significantly improved executive functioning in children with ADHD, showing above moderate effect sizes especially in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Aerobic exercise therapy can be used as a reference in improving executive function in children with ADHD, but given the limitations of this study, it should be used with caution when applied in clinical settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion 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 OpenQuestion graph.