Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 18;21(1):629.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03603-6.

Inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood predict physical activity in adolescence

Eva Norén Selinus  1   2 , Natalie Durbeej  3   4 , Yiqiang Zhan  5   6 , Paul Lichtenstein  7 , Sebastian Lundström  8   9 , Maria Ekblom  3   10
Affiliations

Inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood predict physical activity in adolescence

Eva Norén Selinus et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Physical activity has been documented to influence several aspects of physical and mental health. Growing evidence shows that physical activity can improve attention. Less is known about how symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity in childhood are associated with physical activity in adolescence. We aimed to explore this relationship further.

Methods: We used a cohort of 3949 Swedish children (1884 boys and 2065 girls) with data collected at ages 9 (or 12) and 15. We investigated the influence of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity in childhood - age 9/12 (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity separately) on self-rated physical activity at age 15, using multiple logistic regression models. We considered potential confounders such as sex, parental education level, physical activity in childhood and neurodevelopmental comorbidity. A cluster robust sandwich estimator was applied to adjust the standard errors for the nested twin data when computing the regression models.

Results: Symptoms of inattention in childhood (9/12) predicted less physical activity in adolescence (age 15) (OR = 0.83 CI = 0.78-0.89), whereas the opposite was true for hyperactivity/impulsivity (OR = 1.08 CI = 1.02-1.10). These associations still remained when taking possible confounders into account including neurodevelopmental and neurodevelopmental related comorbidity.

Conclusions: These findings support the importance of helping children and adolescents with inattention symptoms to engage in physical activity in suitable settings.

Keywords: ADHD; Hyperactivity; Inattention; Longitudinal; Neurodevelopmental problems; Physical activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportions of participants being physically active and not being physically active at each score level of the Inattention symptoms scale
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proportions of participants being physically active and not being physically active at each score level of the Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms scale
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bull FC, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451–1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Christiansen, L., et al., Effects of Exercise on Cognitive Performance in Children and Adolescents with ADHD: Potential Mechanisms and Evidence-based Recommendations. J Clin Med, 2019. 8(6). - PMC - PubMed
    1. de Greeff JW, et al. Effects of physical activity on executive functions, attention and academic performance in preadolescent children: a meta-analysis. J Sci Med Sport. 2018;21(5):501–507. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.09.595. - DOI - PubMed
    1. NBHW, ADHD hos barn och vuxna [Children and adults with ADHD. Review]. 2002, Socialstyrelsen: Sweden.
    1. Rydell M, et al. Has the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder phenotype become more common in children between 2004 and 2014? Trends over 10 years from a Swedish general population sample. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2018;59(8):863–871. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12882. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types