Moderate to vigorous exercise in the morning may help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder be better prepared for the school day.
Michigan State University researchers studied 200 kindergarten, first and second grade students for 12 weeks. They found children at-risk for developing ADHD were more attentive in class after exercising.
Alan Smith is the chairperson of MSU’s Department of Kinesiology. He says the study suggests including more physical activity in schools could lessen the effects of ADHD in some children.
“This might suggest we want to rethink some of our policies that have moved physical activity and physical education out of the school day,” says Smith, though he adds more research is needed.
The study can be found in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
