Effects of Sport Training on Physical Fitness and Behavioral Modification in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: The high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children has drawn the attention of different stakeholders in the community. Children with ADHD usually exhibit excessive activity and impulsive behaviors which negatively affect their school and social lives. Although medication is commonly used as treatment for children with ADHD, its side effects urge the need for developing non-pharmacological treatment. Hence, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of sport training on physical fitness development and behavioral modification of children with ADHD. Methodology: 26 primary school students in Hong Kong participated in an 8-week sport training programme with sport skills including soccer, basketball, rugby and cross country. The muscular strength of lower limb, agility, speed and flexibility of the participants were measured in this study to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme. The change in behavioral measures were assessed by the Chinese version of Swanson, Nolan and Pelham IV (SNAP-IV). Data was analyzed by the paired sample t-test with significance level as 0.05. Results: After the 8-week sport training intervention, statistically significance differences were identified in muscular strength, agility, speed and flexibility of participants which indicated that sport training has positive impact on the physical development of children with ADHD. Although the mean score of SNAP-IV in oppositional behavior dropped slightly, no statistically significance difference was revealed in the analysis. Participants performed similarly in inattention, and hyperactivity and impulsivity before and after the training. Conclusion: Children with ADHD obtained benefits in physical aspects from joining the 8-week sport training programme. For behavioral development, only a slight improvement was identified in oppositional behavior of participants. To maximize the positive impacts of sport training in physical and behavioral development of children with ADHD, a longer training duration is suggested.