The Effects of High Intensity versus Low Intensity Exercise on Academic Productivity, Mood, and Behavior among Youth with and without ADHD

High-intensity interval training in children and adolescents with special educational needs: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

“…A summary of the author, year, country, participant characteristics, and study design is presented in Table 1 . The sample sizes of the 13 studies ranged from 9 [ 34 ] to 78 [ 38 ], and 453 participants were included in the overall review. The age of participants ranged from 5 to 18 years, with the youngest mean age being 8.7 ± 1.7 years [ 34 ] and the oldest being 17.3 ± 0.7 years [ 30 ].…”

“…Two studies each were conducted in the Netherlands [ 28 , 39 ], Australia [ 30 , 36 ], Canada [ 31 , 34 ] and Iran [ 35 , 37 ] and one each in Belgium [ 27 ], Germany [ 32 ], Norway [ 29 ], Austria [ 33 ] and the United States [ 38 ]. Furthermore, six types of SEN were included in this review: four papers discussed ADHD [ 32 , 35 , 37 , 38 ], three discussed cerebral palsy [ 29 , 33 ], two discussed mental illness [ 31 , 36 ], one discussed physical disability [ 39 ], one discussed intellectual disability [ 27 ], and one discussed developmental coordination disorder [ 28 ]. Additionally, one study focused on several types of disabilities [ 30 ].…”

“…The exercise protocols are summarized in Table 1 . Studies have used various PA modalities to engage children and adolescents in HIIT, including short bouts of sprinting [ 27 , 34 , 36 , 39 ], functional exercise [ 33 ], running [ 29 , 35 , 37 ], circuit training [ 31 ], low-complexity exercise [ 30 ], and a combination of aerobic and anaerobic activities (e.g., running and jumping jacks) [ 38 ]. One study included a combination of modalities (e.g., running, strength exercises, and plyometrics) [ 28 ], whereas another did not specify the modality of the HIIT protocol [ 32 ].…”

“…One study included a combination of modalities (e.g., running, strength exercises, and plyometrics) [ 28 ], whereas another did not specify the modality of the HIIT protocol [ 32 ]. Five studies were conducted in school settings [ 27 , 28 , 30 , 34 , 39 ], three in hospitals [ 31 , 32 , 36 ], and one each in laboratories [ 37 ], home environment [ 33 ] and a therapeutic summer camp [ 38 ]. All interventions ranged in duration from 2 to 15 weeks, with the exception of one acute study [ 31 ].…”

“…2019 [ 36 ] Australia Non-RCT Adolescents with serious mental illness; N = 30 (11 boys) 16.0 ± 1.2 HIIT 15 4 × 30 s maximal cycling sprints interspersed with 4 min recovery Supervised by researchers at a hospital 8 weeks 3 CON 15 received treatment as usual Torabi et al . 2018 [ 37 ] Iran Non-RCT Adolescents with ADHD; N = 50 (30 boys) 12.7 ± 1.1 HIIT 25 20 m running program repetitions interspersed with 20–30 s rest, ≥ 85% HR max Supervised by researchers at laboratories 6 weeks 3 CON 25 no training throughout the experimental period Wymbs et al2021 [ 38 ] USA Crossover Children with ADHD; N = 78 (57 boys) 9.7 ± 2.5 HIIT 78 ~ 25 min in total, consisted of short bursts (2–5 min) of aerobic and anaerobic activity (e.g. running and doing jumping jacks) at 80–90% HR max , interspersed with 2 min recovery Supervised by undergraduate and graduate students trained by psychologists at a therapeutic summer camp 15 days 7 CON 78 ~ 25 min in total, consisted of short bouts (2–5 min) of low intensity activities (e.g.…”