Effect of regular physical exercise on body awareness and movement quality in adults with ADHD—A randomized controlled trial - START

Kajsa Lidström Holmqvist, Lena Axelsson Svedell, Mussie Msghina, Mialinn Arvidsson Lindvall
Purpose:

To explore the effects of the START intervention on body awareness and movement quality in adults with ADHD. Body awareness and movement quality in adults with ADHD have not been previously studied, nor has the impact of structured, mixed, physical activity on these aspects been examined. 

Methods:

Forty-one participants (25 female, 16 male) with ADHD, aged 25–62, were included from the larger START randomized controlled trial (RCT) study (n=27 intervention / n= 17 control). Body awareness and movement quality were assessed with the Body Awareness Scale Movement Quality and Experience, before and after the 12 week intervention period. The BAS MQ-E is a multifaceted physiotherapeutic assessment tool—primarily constructed from psychiatric physiotherapeutic theories. 

The intervention group recieved the START-intervention and the control group recieved treatment as usual (TAU). TAU included any ongoing treatment other than regular physical exercise. The intervention was given by licensed physiotherapists in open psychiatric care.

For the analysis of effect, we conducted an intention-to-treat analysis using paired and independent t-tests and chi-square tests to analyse differences within and between the intervention- and control groups. The significance level was set at p 0.05.

Results:

In total, 41 individuals completed the study (18 intervention/13 control). Body awareness and movement quality were significantly improved in the intervention group, and significantly more individuals had a clinically meaningful improvement in the intervention group compared to the control group.

Conclusion(s):

The START intervention can improve body awareness and movement quality in adults with ADHD. The findings indicate that the START intervention affects motor skills and interoceptive awareness. An intervention with physical activity also provides the already-known health benefits associated with increased physical activity, thereby contributing to overall health and adressing a critical gap in current treatment options for adults with adhd. Future reaseach should continue to explore these benefits and the application of such interventions.

 

Implications:

By enhancing body awareness and movement quality, the START intervention offers a holistic approach to managing ADHD, providing a valuable non-pharmacological treatment delivered by physiotherapists.

Funding acknowledgements:
ALF funding Region Örebro County, Nyckelfonden Region Örebro County
Keywords:
body awareness
adhd
physical activity
Primary topic:
Mental health
Second topic:
Health promotion and wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Swedish Ethical Review Authority
Provide the ethics approval number:
2020-05641
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
Yes

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