Physical activity profiles of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms among preschool children

Physical activity (PA) has gained attention as a potential behavioral marker for ADHD, yet findings remain inconsistent. Most research focuses on school-aged children, leaving a critical gap in understanding PA patterns in preschoolers with ADHD symptoms.

The study aims to investigate the association of physical activity level and ADHD symptoms and focus on characterizing physical activity profiles of preschool children with ADHD symptoms.

Totally 18 children with ADHD symptoms and 66 typically developing children were enrolled in this study. Physical activity was objectively assessed using actigraphy over five school days. Two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to assess differences between groups. Multivariate regression models were further employed to control potential confounding variables.

Preschool children with ADHD symptoms had less time in most of the daily physical activities. Especially, ADHD groups had lower light (24.11 min vs. 27.25 min, P = 0.023), moderate (16.56 min vs. 20.43 min, P = 0.009) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA, 23.26 min vs. 29.20 min, P = 0.018) than control group. Potential interactive effects among light, moderate, MVPA and routine afterschool physical activities were further investigated using multivariate regression analysis.

The observed pattern of reduced PA in preschool children with ADHD symptoms may reflect behavioral characteristics associated with early ADHD manifestations. However, further longitudinal research is needed to determine whether activity differences could serve as potential early markers for ADHD.