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Indianapolis Star, 9/26/04

NATURE MAY CALM KIDS WITH ADHD, RESEARCHERS SAY

by Hilary E. MacGregor

Kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who have a few hours on their hands might want to consider heading to the nearest grassy park or tree-lined street.

In a study of several hundred children with the disorder, researchers found that those who spent time in green, natural settings reported fewer symptoms than kids who worked on activities indoors or who took part in activities in more urban areas.

"I think we're on the track of something really important," said study co-author Frances E. Kuo, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall often are used to help sufferers focus, but they can have side effects and -- families sometimes feel -- a stigma. As a result, many families prefer to try nonmedical approaches first.

Previous studies conducted by Kuo and Andrea Faber Taylor, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois who specializes in children's environments and behaviors, found that time in nature helps adults and children without ADHD concentrate.

"If it works with other kids, we thought, maybe it will work in kids who have difficulty with attention," Kuo said.

For the study, researchers recruited 406 participants -- 322 boys and 84 girls -- who had been diagnosed with ADHD. Most of the participants, ages 5 to 18, were on medication.

The parents were interviewed by e-mail about how their children performed after activities conducted inside, outside in downtown areas without much greenery, and in more natural outdoor settings such as a park. The researchers asked parents to compare 56 activities and how their children fared afterward.

Regardless of whether they were on medication, children who spent a few hours after school or on the weekend playing outside in green, natural settings showed a significant reduction of symptoms compared with those who had spent time indoors or surrounded by asphalt and pavement, parents reported.

But the study did not quantify how much symptoms were reduced.

"Unfortunately, all we can say is that (the effect of nature) is a real effect that is big enough that parents were noticing it, and they were not looking for it," Kuo said.

The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Copyright 2004 IndyStar.com

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