The impact of targeted physical activity interventions on inhibition control in children and adolescents with ADHD: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aims to identify intervention parameters (e.g., intensity, session time, frequency, and intervention duration) of targeted physical activity (PA) to improve inhibition control (IC) in children and adolescents with ADHD. The systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. In this meta-analysis we assessed the overall effect of PA interventions and then conducted subgroup meta-analyses and meta-regression to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Finally, we checked publication biases and performed sensitivity analyses. Sixteen studies (591 participants aged 7-17 years) were included. The result showed that targeted PA interventions improved IC with high heterogeneity (SMD = 0.71, 95% CI [0.30, 1.11], I

= 83.11%). Long-term interventions improved IC (SMD = 0.84, 95% CI [0.36, 1.31], p < 0.01), whereas acute interventions did not. Although no statistically significant group difference in long-term interventions was found (p > 0.05), examination of individual studies suggested greater improvements with session time around 60 min (SMD = 1.43), 2-3 times/week (SMD = 1.04), and intervention duration of at least 8 weeks (>=8 weeks: SMD = 0.49; >=12 weeks: SMD = 1.19). Meta-regression revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between frequency and intervention effects (beta= 2.15; beta= -0.57). Targeted PA interventions could improve IC in children and adolescents with ADHD, particularly designed with a moderate frequency. Although session time and intervention duration in long-term interventions showed no statistical significance in this meta-analysis, examination of individual studies revealed their promising results. Further investigations are therefore recommended.