Device-Based Movement Behaviors, Executive Function, and Academic Skills among African American Children with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) has been identified as a promising intervention to improve executive function (EF) and reduce ADHD symptoms in children. Few African American children with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) from families with low incomes are represented in this literature. The purpose of this study is to test the relationships between PA and sedentary time (ST), and EF and academic skills among African American children with ADHD and DBD from low-income families. Methods: Children (n = 23, 6–13 years old) wore an ActiGraph for one week to measure PA and ST. EF was measured through parent report and direct neuropsychological tests. Academic skills were measured with the Curriculum-Based Measurement System. Bivariate correlations tested relationships between PA, ST, EF, and academic skills. Results: A significant correlation was observed between vigorous PA time and parent reported EF (r = −0.46, p = 0.040). Light PA and moderate PA were not related to EF or academic skills, and neither was ST. Conclusions: Vigorous PA may prove useful as an adjunct treatment to improve EF in African American children with ADHD and DBD in low-income neighborhoods. Research using experimental and longitudinal designs, and examining qualitative features of PA experiences, will be critical for understanding relationships between PA, academic skills, and EF in this population.

The associations between specific-type sedentary behaviors and cognitive flexibility in adolescents

“…More importantly, a study found that sedentary time spent doing homework at age 7 years was positively associated with cognition at age 11 years, whereas sedentary time spent watching television was negatively associated with cognition, although the association was attenuated to the null after controlling for baseline cognition (Aggio et al, 2016), indicating that the type of sedentary behavior may be an important factor in understanding the association between sedentary behavior and cognition in adolescents. However, existing research tends to focus on total sedentary time rather than specific sedentary behaviors (Wickel, 2017;Mora-Gonzalez et al, 2019;Santiago-Rodriguez et al, 2022). More research is needed to build on the growing body of evidence linking type-specific sedentary behaviors (Owen et al, 2020), particularly recreational screen-based sedentary behavior and educational sedentary behavior.…”