Abstract
BackgroundPhysical activity has been documented to influence several aspects of physical and mental health. Growing evidence shows that physical activity can improve attention. Less is known about how symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity in childhood are associated with physical activity in adolescence. We aimed to explore this relationship further.MethodsWe used a cohort of 3949 Swedish children (1884 boys and 2065 girls) with data collected at ages 9 (or 12) and 15. We investigated the influence of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity in childhood – age 9/12 (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity separately) on self-rated physical activity at age 15, using multiple logistic regression models. We considered potential confounders such as sex, parental education level, physical activity in childhood and neurodevelopmental comorbidity. A cluster robust sandwich estimator was applied to adjust the standard errors for the nested twin data when computing the regression models.ResultsSymptoms of inattention in childhood (9/12) predicted less physical activity in adolescence (age 15) (OR = 0.83 CI = 0.78–0.89), whereas the opposite was true for hyperactivity/impulsivity (OR = 1.08 CI = 1.02–1.10). These associations still remained when taking possible confounders into account including neurodevelopmental and neurodevelopmental related comorbidity.ConclusionsThese findings support the importance of helping children and adolescents with inattention symptoms to engage in physical activity in suitable settings.
Highlights
Physical activity is an important life style factor for many health outcomes throughout life
Aims of the study We aimed to explore how symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in childhood are associated with self-rated physical activity in adolescence in a nationally representative sample of Swedish adolescent twins, while controlling for sex, age, parental education, and comorbidity with other neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs)
We investigated the influence of ADHD symptoms in childhood – age 9/12, focusing on inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, on self-rated physical activity at age 15, using multiple logistic regression models
Summary
Physical activity is an important life style factor for many health outcomes throughout life. In Sweden schools, parents and other parts of society have showed a growing interest in long-term health consequences of symptoms of inattention and Selinus et al BMC Psychiatry (2021) 21:629 hyperactivity / impulsivity. The prevalence of ADHD among Swedish school-aged children has been estimated by the National Board of Health and Welfare to be around 3 to 5%, based on a review of Swedish and international studies in 2002 [4]. Since another study has concluded that increasing numbers of children in Sweden are being diagnosed with ADHD and that clinically diagnosed ADHD increased more than fivefold from 2004 to 2014 [5]. Less is known about how symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity in childhood are associated with physical activity in adolescence.
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