Effects of an Educational Intervention of Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Regular aerobic exercise in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) improves aerobic conditioning and delays disease progression, resulting in better quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an aerobic exercise program based on verbal and written guidelines on maximum exercise capacity using a cardiopulmonary exercise test, quality of life, and the self-reported aerobic exercise practice of children and adolescents with CF. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial followed guidelines for physical exercise in a CF center. Subjects were assigned to 2 groups: intervention (group 1), with 17 subjects; and control (group 2), also with 17 subjects. Data were collected from October 2010 to October 2011, and the study population comprised 7-20-y-old children and adolescents with CF. The intervention consisted of handing out a manual with guidelines for aerobic physical exercises and reinforcing recommendations in telephone calls every 2 weeks. RESULTS: Thirty-four subjects were included in the study, 20 of whom were boys (58.5%). The groups were similar at baseline. In group 1, 6 subjects (35.2%) reported practicing physical exercises regularly. The mean age was 13.4 ؎ 2.8 y, the mean percent-ofpredicted FEV 1 was 95.5 ؎ 17.9%, and the mean peak oxygen uptake (V O 2 ) relative to body mass was 34.9 ؎ 9.0 mL/kg/min. In group 2, 4 subjects (23.5%) reported practicing physical exercises regularly. The mean age was 12.7 ؎ 3.3 y, the mean percent-of-predicted FEV 1 was 100.1 ؎ 21.2%, and the mean peak V O 2 was 33.2 ؎ 8.2 mL/kg/min. In group 1, there was a significant increase in physical exercise practice as reported by subjects after 3 months of intervention compared with group 2 (P ‫؍‬ .01). No statistically significant differences were found for the other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal and written guidelines for aerobic exercise, together with supervision over the telephone, had a positive impact on the self-reported regular physical exercise practice of children and adolescents. However, no improvement was found in lung function and maximum exercise capacity or domains of the quality of life questionnaire.

Physical Activity Levels and Performance in Italian Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study

“…In a cross-sectional study on children with CF, PA was found to correlate quite strongly with QOL [7]. In our study we found a 9-points higher body image perception in the more active group, even if no statistical significance were detected in difference of QOL scores between groups previous studies reported similar results [29]. Hommerding et al [30] found no significant improvement in QoL domains after an education intervention of PA for children and adolescents with CF.…”

Using photo-elicitation to explore perceptions of physical activity among young people with cystic fibrosis

“…Critically, motives for physical activity varied considerably between individuals, thus highlighting the need for an individualised approach to physical activity promotion. Whilst this may appear inherently obvious, many interventions targeting physical activity still adopt a “one size fits all” approach, such as giving patients fitness trackers [43] or educating individuals about the benefits of physical activity [44]. For interventions to be effective for enhancing physical activity, our data/study suggests that they must be flexible enough to meet the various motives of those they target.…”

A Prototype Exercise–Empowerment Mobile Video Game for Children With Cancer, and Its Usability Assessment: Developing Digital Empowerment Interventions for Pediatric Diseases

“…For children now diagnosed with the multisystem complex disease Cystic Fibrosis, the median predicted age of survival age is now into the sixth decade ( 75 – 77 ). However, young adults with Cystic Fibrosis self-report anxiety, depression, and poor adherence to recommended therapies, including exercise interventions ( 78 ), even though participation in exercise and education programs, improve aerobic capacity, nutritional status, and QOL ( 78 – 80 ). Chronic renal failure arising from diverse etiologies results in impaired growth, cardiovascular disease, and diminished physical and psychosocial QOL ( 9 , 81 – 83 ).…”