Effect of Twelve Weeks of Aerobic Training on Treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

Purpose: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the prevalent disorders in child 
psychiatry. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 12-weeks aerobic training on the 
treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in male primary school students in Kashan.
Material and Methods: This research was a semi-experimental study. The study population consisted of 
300 male students in primary schools of Kashan suffering from ADHD between years2011-12. Thus 60 
students with the highest degree of ADHD were selected using Diagnostic Questionnaire Conner (CPRS) and 
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and were grouped randomly, and according to their demographical 
characteristics, into a control group (age 9.17 ± 1.55, weight 31.60 ± 8.11 and height 133.86 ± 8.617) and an 
intervention group (age 10.53 ±1.52, weight 28.06 ± 7.70 and height 132.06 ± 9.04). All psychological and 
sport protocols were under observation of a psychiatrist and a sport physiologist. Experimental group did 
aerobic exercises for 12 weeks, 3 times a week, and with 60 to 85 percent of their reserved heart rate, while 
the control group just followed their routine life. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to check the normality 
of the data distribution and Independent T-test was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercises at the 
significance level of p≤0.05. All the data analyses were done using SPSS software (version 16).
Results: There was a significant difference in ADHD (p=0.000) of the experimental group in post-test 
(p≤0.05). But there was no significant difference in the control group (p≥0.05).
Discussion and Conclusion: These findings pointed to the role and importance of sport and regular and 
organized exercises, as a non-invasive and non-medicinal method, in preventing and treatment of child 
behavior d

Keywords

• Aerobic exercises
• Hyperactivity
• Attention Deficit

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