Mind-body exercise affects attention switching and sustained attention in female adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A randomized, controlled trial with 6-month follow-up

Since few studies have explored the impact of Pilates exercise on cognitive functions in adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this study aims to evaluate the effect of Pilates training on attention switching and sustained attention in a sample of adults with ADHD. The sample consisted of 52 adults with ADHD in the age range of 20 to 50 years, who were randomized into a 24-week Pilates training group (n = 25) and a control group (n = 27). The participants were followed up for 6 months. The treatment group (Pilates exercise) exhibited significant improvement in sustained attention in the post-test and follow-up, particularly in terms of omission errors, commission errors, and reaction time (p < 0.05). Moreover, the results suggested that attention switching improved substantially in the post-test in terms of perseverative errors, non-perseverative errors, and total errors (p < 0.05). Findings offer evidence on the positive impact of Pilates training on attention problems in adults with ADHD. Registration code: IR.UM. REC.1398.133.