Physical activity and quality of life in children with well-controlled asthma
Pauline Peftoulidou, Maria Gioulvanidou, Elissavet-Anna Chrysochoou, Elpis Hatziagorou
Abstract
Background Asthma is the most common disease in childhood. Appropriate management and programs encouraging exercise enable children to enjoy a good quality of life (QoL).Objective To assess the association between lung function, physical activity (PA), and QoL in children with well-controlled asthma.Methods Fifty-four children aged 7–14 years attending a Pediatric Asthma Clinic were included. All children underwent spirometry and completed three self-administered validated questionnaires: The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), the ACT (Asthma Control Test), and the DISABKIDS for QoL.Results Mean age of the study population was 11.43(±2.1), BMI, kg/m2 (20.8 ± 3.9), FVCpp (97.1% ±12.4), and FEV1pp (99.7% ±12.43), ACT (23.4 ± 3). The GLTEQ revealed that only 3% of the studied population presented satisfactory activity, while 86% were sedentary. Both FEV1pp, and PA were significantly correlated to the children’s QoL ((r2: 0.55, p:0.0001), and (r2:0.45, p:0.003), respectively).Conclusions Despite reasonable asthma control, the children exhibited low physical activity levels, which negatively correlated to their QoL. Families of asthmatic children should be educated to highlight the benefits of exercise and increase the PA of their children.