Abstract

PINTALHAO, Inês; PENETRA, Joana  and  BATISTA, Joel. Yoga practice as a complementary or alternative therapy in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an evidence-based review. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2019, vol.35, n.2, pp.121-135. ISSN 2182-5173.  https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v35i2.12087.

Objectives: To review the evidence available on the effectiveness of yoga practice in the reduction of ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents. Data source: MEDLINE/PubMed and evidence-based medicine databases (National Guideline Clearinghouse, Canadian Medical Association Practice Guidelines InfoBase, Guidelines Finder of the National NHS British Library for Health, DARE, Bandolier, and The Cochrane Library). Methods: We conducted an evidence-based review of scientific papers published between January 1999 and January 2017, in Portuguese and English, using the MeSH terms ‘attention deficit hyperactivity disorder' (ADHD), ‘yoga', ‘child', and ‘adolescent'. Levels of evidence (LE) and strength of recommendations (SOR) were assigned according to the American Family Physician's Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) criteria. Results: Our search revealed a total of 48 papers and we selected five according to the inclusion criteria: one systematic review and four original articles, of which three randomised controlled trials, and one quasi-experimental trial. Although some studies have shown positive results, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate a beneficial effect of yoga practice on the reduction of symptoms in children and adolescents with ADHD (LE 2). Conclusion: The evidence available does not support the recommendation of yoga practice as an alternative or complementary therapy to the strategies already implemented, in children and adolescents with ADHD (strength of recommendation B). Studies that point out to a beneficial effect of this modality raise concerns about their methodology, limiting the quality of the evidence. Further prospective large-scale studies, with homogeneous samples and adequate follow-up are suggested, in order to allow the validation of the evidence found to date, and to help in the formulation of future recommendations.

Keywords : Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Yoga; Child; Adolescent.

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