1

Exercise Physiology Research Paper

Bri Rehborg

College of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Grand Canyon University

EXS-340: Physiology of Exercise

Dr. Zeigler

4/30/2023
 2

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prevalent in society today and is a common

childhood disorder that affects 11% of children in the United States11. ADHD is diagnosed when there is

an ongoing pattern of inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning and

development10. The purpose of this research is to understand how incorporating exercise into children’s

lifestyle can help the management of their ADHD symptoms. This research aims to provide a better

understanding of children and how they can improve their lifestyle with ADHD. With the supporting

research, if incorporating physical activity into children’s lifestyle, then they should be able to increase

cognitive function, manage their symptoms, and increase their quality of life. There should be more of a

concern regarding children with ADHD, and how it affects their functionality. Current research has found

that physical activity improves cognitive function, reaction time, brain activity, and ultimately improved

functionality13. The objective of this application is to assess children with ADHD and explore different

ways for them to improve cognitive function, manage their symptoms and increase quality of life.

Literature Review

There is a plethora of studies that have been done on benefits of physical activity in children with

ADHD. Incorporating physical activity into lifestyle is a simple step to make drastic improvements in a

child’s life. Certain exercise interventions are proposed to add value to traditional treatment approaches

for ADHD16. Physical activity is the intentional purpose of increasing heart rate and moving the body to

improve quality of life3. Increased activity in children with ADHD has been studied and shown to

increase cognitive function, improve management of symptoms and increase overall quality of life.

Cognitive Function

Physical activity is evaluated to aid in increasing cognitive effects in children with ADHD, even

in one single session5. ADHD is a type of learning disorder, and this can cause impairment such as

decreased function in motor control, working memory and inhibitory control 12. It is known that exercise
 3

enhances adrenaline and dopamine synthesis in the brain14. It predicted that physical activity could act as

an alternative treatment for children that struggle with ADHD. Studies conducted by Medina et. al. (2010)

and Chang et. al. (2012), concluded that there were fewer problem-solving errors, increased cognitive

function and increased reaction time after a bout of exercise. Due to the limited research in this area of

study, more research should be done.

Symptom Management

Symptoms of ADHD affect a child’s ability to focus, navigate behavioral issues and be successful

in school. ADHD is considered one of the leading psychiatric disorders in America, and is diagnosed

based on symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/ or impulsivity which must last at least 6 months 1.

Navigating ADHD as a child is multidimensional and complex; this will cause a child to struggle with

managing their symptoms. A study done by Gapin and Etnier (2010) found a significantly greater percent

of parents that reported positive effects of their children managing their symptoms of inattention and

hyperactivity. Another study done by Tette (2003) supported this question of symptom management;

parents and teachers were asked to conduct the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function

(BRIEF) pre and post of a 6-week exercise program. After the 6 weeks there was significant improvement

in behavior compared to the control group that received no exercise. A similar study was conducted by

McKune et. al. (2003), which measured parents rating on the Connors Rating Scale, before and after a 5-

week exercise program. This study resulted in increased behavior and symptom management. These

findings suggest that physical activity is a way to mitigate behavioral and cognitive symptoms of ADHD.

Quality of Life

In children, ADHD can decrease quality of life due to the amount of struggles they go through

each day in learning and their symptoms. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidirectional

concept including physical, mental, and social function9. Physical activity is predicted to help improve

quality of life and feeling fulfilled in each day. In a study conducted by Gallego-Mendez et. al (2020),
 4

resulted in a positive correlation between the practice of physical activity, cardio specifically and HRQoL

on people with ADHD. There are clear findings that physical activity is related to increased levels of

HRQoL and health benefits. Another study conducted by Meßler et. al. (2018), randomly assigned the

sample size of boys to either an exercise group, or the control group. After the 3-week intervention there

were improvements in physical fitness, motor skills, quality of life, competence, and attention.

Ultimately, physical activity may contribute greatly to the improvement of HRQoL in children, ages 5-12

with ADHD.

Discussion

In conclusion, ADHD is an ongoing pattern that interferes with functioning and development and

is often a pattern of inattentiveness and/ or hyperactivity. Physical activity is shown to help improve

children’s cognitive function, management of symptoms and quality of life. There is substantial research

that has found that physical activity improves reaction time, brain activity, and ultimately improved

functionality8. These findings suggest that future research should be done on children with ADHD

focusing on limited areas of research, such as the effects of cognitive function along with retention rate of

physical activity, motivation struggles with exercise and how ADHD affects overall affects functionality.

These findings are important because they can help how a child grows up and lives their life efficiently

and effectively. By researching what will help a child’s brain will help wire the pathways and assist them

in living their everyday life. By incorporating physical activity in someone’s life when they are young

will help them recognize the benefits and create a higher retention rate with exercise. The objective of this

application was to help assess children with ADHD and explore using physical activity to help them

improve cognitive function, manage their symptoms, and increase quality of life.
 5

References

1. American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR

(4th ed.) Washington, DC

2. Chang Y. K., Etnier J. L. (2009). Effects of an acute bout of localized resistance exercise on cognitive

performance in middle-aged adults: A randomized controlled trial study. Psychology of Sport and

Exercise, 10, 19-24.

3. Gallego-Méndez, J., Perez-Gomez, J., Calzada-Rodríguez, J. I., Denche-Zamorano, Á. M., Mendoza-Muñoz,

M., Carlos-Vivas, J., ... & Adsuar, J. C. (2020). Relationship between health-related quality of life and

physical activity in children with hyperactivity. International journal of environmental research and public

health, 17(8), 2804.

4. Gapin, J. I., & Etnier, J. L. (2014). Parental perceptions of the effects of exercise on behavior in children and

adolescents with ADHD. Journal of sport and Health science, 3(4), 320-325.

5. Grassmann, V., Alves, M., Santos-Galduróz, R., and Galduróz, J. (2017) Possible Cognitive Benefits of Acute

Physical Exercise in Children With ADHD: A Systematic Review. Journal of Attention Disorders, Vol.

21(5) 367–371. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1087054714526041

6. McKune, A. J., Pautz, J., & Lomjbard, J. (2003). Behavioural response to exercise in children with attention-

deficit/hyperactivity disorder. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 15(3), 17-21.

7. Meßler, C. F., Holmberg, H. C., & Sperlich, B. (2018). Multimodal therapy involving high-intensity interval

training improves the physical fitness, motor skills, social behavior, and quality of life of boys with

ADHD: a randomized controlled study. Journal of attention disorders, 22(8), 806-812.

 6

8. Medina J. A., Netto T. L., Muszkat M., Medina A. C., Botter D., Orbetelli R., . . . Miranda M. C. (2010).

Exercise impact on sustained attention of ADHD children, methylphenidate effects. Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, 2, 49-58.

9. Mohammadi, H., Nafei, H., Baniasadi, T., & Chaharbaghi, Z. (2022). Accelerometer-based physical activity

and health-related quality of life in children with ADHD. International Journal of Pediatrics, 10(7),

16362-16369.

10. National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Retrieved from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd

11. Piepmeier, A., Shih, C., Whedon, M., Williams, L., Davis, M., Henning, D., Park, S., Calkins, S., Etnier, J.

(2015) The effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance in children with and without ADHD, Journal

of Sport and Health Science, Volume 4, Issue 1, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2014.11.004.

12. Schneider M., Retz W., Coogan A., Thome J., Rösler M. (2006). Anatomical and functional brain imaging in

adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—A neurological view. European Archives of

Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(1), i32-i41.

13. Singletary, C. (2021). The effect of resistance exercise circuit training on adults with

attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Order No. 28418320). Available from ProQuest One

Academic. (2519016602). https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-

theses/effect-resistance-exercise-circuit-training-on/docview/2519016602/se-2

14. Sutoo D., Akiyama K. (2003). Regulation of brain function by exercise. Neurobiology of Disease, 13, 1 14.

ISSN 0969-9961, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-9961(03)00030-5.

15. Tette, J. (2003) The Effects of Exercise on Executive Functioning in Primary School Aged Children.

Unpublished. Manuscript
 7

16. Welsch, L., Alliott, O., Kelly, P., Fawkner, S., Booth, J., & Niven, A. (2021). The effect of physical activity

interventions on executive functions in children with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mental Health and Physical Activity, 20. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100379