Kids with asthma need exercise

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Asthma may be a barrier to children's physical activity, reinforcing the tendency to obesity in this population, according to a study published in Pediatrics. "Strategies to promote exercise within pediatric asthma care are needed to protect both mental and physical health," the researchers advise.

Dr. Cristine Glazebrook and colleagues from the University of Nottingham, UK, compared customary activity levels, body mass index (BMI), and emotional well-being of asthmatic children with that of children with other medical conditions.

Included in the study were 56 children between the ages of 7 and 14 years who were attending hospital outpatient clinics for asthma and 61 children with conditions of the ear, nose, throat or skin.

The average body mass index (the ratio of height to weight) was greater in the asthma group compared with the children without asthma. The rate of obesity was also higher in the asthma group (21.4 percent versus 6.6 percent).

Asthmatic children reported fewer physical activities than children without asthma (four per day versus six per day, respectively). The factor that was the strongest predictor of lower activity scores was asthma, followed by younger age.

Children in the asthma group had more emotional difficulties, but those who were more active had better mental health.

Overall, 60.7 percent of parents in the asthma group identified the child's health as a barrier to exercise, compared with 11 percent of parents of children without asthma. Similarly, more children in the asthma group identified their health as a barrier to exercise (66.1 percent versus 11.5 percent of children in the non-asthma group).

"This study highlights the importance of addressing barriers to exercise within pediatric asthma care and identifies the need for effective interventions to promote physical activity," Glazebrook and colleagues conclude.

"If young people do not get rewarding experiences out of physical exercise early on, they will find it much harder to maintain healthy levels of physical fitness and body weight in adulthood."

SOURCE: Pediatrics, December 2006.