Daytime Physical Activity Levels in School-Age Children With and Without Asthma

Tsai, Shin Han; Ward, Teresa M.; Lentz, Martha J.; Kieckhefer, Gail M.

doi:10.1097/nnr.0b013e318255679c

Cited by 25 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…PA has also been associated with decreased severity of asthma symptoms, reduced school absenteeism and improved quality of life among children with asthma (9–11). Despite these benefits, children with asthma have lower levels of PA, fitness, and sports participation than children without asthma (12–14). Given that children spend more than half of their waking hours at school, the school environment represents a critical opportunity for youth with asthma to engage in PA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-school asthma management and physical activity: children’s perspectives

Walker

Reznik

2014

Journal of Asthma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

OBJECTIVE Regular physical activity (PA) is an important component of pediatric asthma management. No studies have examined how in-school asthma management influences PA from children’s perspectives. The aim of this study was to explore children’s perceptions of the impact of in-school asthma management on PA. METHODS Qualitative interviews with 23 inner-city minority children with asthma (ages 8–10 yrs; 12 girls, 11 boys) were conducted in 10 Bronx, New York elementary schools. Sampling continued until saturation was reached. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and independently coded for common themes. RESULTS Interviews produced five themes representing students’ perceptions about 1) asthma symptoms during in-school PA; 2) methods to control asthma episodes during school PA; 3) methods to prevent asthma episodes during school; 4) limited accessibility of asthma medications; and 5) negative feelings about asthma and medication use. The majority of students experienced asthma symptoms while performing PA during school. Primary methods of managing asthma symptoms were sitting out during activity, drinking water, and visiting the nurse. Students lacked awareness or adherence to action plans to prevent or control asthma. Students reported limited access to medication during school and feelings of embarrassment and/or concerns of teasing when medicating in front of others. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate inappropriate in-school management of asthma symptoms, poor asthma control, lack of accessible medication, and stigma around publicly using asthma medication. Thus, students often missed or were withheld from PA. Interventions to improve in-school asthma care must consider ways to address these issues.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-school asthma management and physical activity: children’s perspectives

Walker

Reznik

2014

Journal of Asthma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Especially the role of decreased physical activity (PA) deserves further attention, as both asthma and obesity could place children at risk of reduced engagement in physical activity [10]. Approximately 40–90 % of all asthma patients experience exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies found lower PA levels in children with asthma whilst others reported no difference in PA levels between asthmatic children and healthy peers [10, 11, 13–15]. Fedele et al studied differences in PA levels between children with obesity, with or without asthma [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Limitations of several studies in this field are that factors that influence PA, such as seasonal influences, are not taken into account [10, 17]. Additionally, questionnaires are frequently used to assess PA, which has a low correlation with objective PA measurements [10, 18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, questionnaires are frequently used to assess PA, which has a low correlation with objective PA measurements [10, 18]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Associations between asthma, overweight and physical activity in children: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAsthma and obesity are highly prevalent in children, and are interrelated resulting in a difficult-to-treat asthma-obesity phenotype. The exact underlying mechanisms of this phenotype remain unclear, but decreased physical activity (PA) could be an important lifestyle factor. We hypothesize that both asthma and overweight/obesity decrease PA levels and interact on PA levels in asthmatic children with overweight/obesity.MethodsSchool-aged children (n = 122) were divided in 4 groups (healthy control, asthma, overweight/obesity and asthma, and overweight/obesity). Children were asked to perform lung function tests and wear an activity monitor for 7 days. PA was determined by: step count, active time, screen time, time spent in organized sports and active transport forms. We used multiple linear regression techniques to investigate whether asthma, body mass index-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS), or the interaction term asthma x BMI-SDS were associated with PA. Additionally, we tested if asthma features (including lung function and medication) were related to PA levels in asthmatic children.ResultsAsthma, BMI-SDS and the interaction between asthma x BMI-SDS were not related to any of the PA variables (p ≥ 0.05). None of the asthma features could predict PA levels (p ≥ 0.05). Less than 1 in 5 children reached the recommended daily step count guidelines of 12,000 steps/day.ConclusionWe found no significant associations between asthma, overweight and PA levels in school-aged children in this study. However, as PA levels were worryingly low, effective PA promotion in school-aged children is necessary.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3600-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract