Sara Suárez-Manzano

Acute and chronic effect of physical activity on cognition and behaviour in young people with ADHD: A systematic review of intervention studies

BACKGROUND Young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have learning and behavioral control difficulties. AIM The aim of this review is analyse the acute and chronic effect of physical activity (PA) on the cognition and behaviour of children and adolescents with ADHD. METHODS Studies were identified in five databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and SCOPUS), from January 2000 through to January 2017. A total of 16 interventional studies met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS PA practice of 20-30 min (intensity 40-75%) produces a positive acute effect on processing speed, working memory, planning and problem solving in young people with ADHD. However, these effects on behaviour are contradictory and vary depending on age. Chronic PA practice (≥30 min per day, ≥40% intensity, ≥three days per week, ≥five weeks) further improves attention, inhibition, emotional control, behaviour and motor control. The results must be treated with caution, because only 25% of the studies used confounders. IMPLICATION More research is needed to justify the causes of these effects. It is necessary to establish programs with regard to the duration, intensity, kind of exercise, and time of PA to improve cognition and behaviour in young people with ADHD taking into account potential confounders.

The effect of cooperative high-intensity interval training on creativity and emotional intelligence in secondary school

Evidence suggests that moderate physical activity (PA) positively relates to creativity and emotional intelligence (EI) in adolescents. However, it is unknown whether cooperative PA (physical exercises in pairs or small groups to enhance motivation, self-efficacy, and pro-social behaviours), performed over less time but at higher intensity, could have similar effects within a school setting. The aim was to analyse the effect of cooperative high-intensity interval training (C-HIIT) on creativity and EI in adolescents aged 12–16 years, and whether improvement effects are different according to weekly PA level. A randomised controlled trial was conducted with a control group (CG, n = 94), which did static stretching, and an experimental group (EG, n = 90), which performed C-HIIT. Both groups performed the activity during 16 minutes at the beginning of physical education (PE) classes. Creativity was assessed with one factor, and EI through four factors (well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability). Age and body mass index (BMI) were used as confounders. Both were measured twice (baseline and after 12 weeks). The EG increased well-being and sociability factors after the C-HIIT programme (both p < 0.001). More specifically, inactive adolescents in the EG showed significant improvements in comparison to the CG in creativity, well-being, and sociability (p = 0.028, p < 0.001, and p < 0.003, respectively). However, we did not find changes among active adolescents. A programme of C-HIIT in PE is a novel strategy to improve creativity and EI, especially in physically inactive adolescents. Starting PE classes with 16 minutes of C-HIIT could be recommended, independently of other activities planned for the session.