Acute Effects Of Intermittent Physical Activity On Psychological Stress And Insecurity In Children And Adolescents With And Without Asthma

Abstract

Intermittent physical activity (PA) may be a novel strategy to promote PA in children and adolescents with asthma, potentially averting the physiologic changes associated with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction that occurs during longer bouts of exercise. Yet, the psychological impact and acceptability of intermittent PA have not been rigorously evaluated in this clinical population. PURPOSE: To examine acute changes in psychological stress and insecurity in children and adolescents with and without asthma while performing five exercise conditions in a laboratory setting. METHODS: Thirty-one children and adolescents between the ages of 8-15 years (35% with asthma; 52% female; mean age: 11.1±0.4 years; BMI%ile: 57.8±5.2) were recruited from Southeast Michigan to participate in the Exercises for a Healthy Asthma Lifestyle and Enjoyment (ExHALE) Study. Participants completed 5 exercise conditions in the following order: i) 6-minute walk test, ii) 5-minute resistance circuit, iii) 5-minute activity video, iv) 5-minute gamified obstacle course, and v) the YMCA Three-Minute Step Test. Heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured to objectively and subjectively assess exercise intensity using HR monitoring and the children’s OMNI Perceived Exertion Scale, respectively. Psychological stress and insecurity were self-reported using a Visual Analog Scale pre- and post-activity. RESULTS: Mean HR was significantly different across all conditions (p<0.01), with the highest HRs observed during the obstacle course and the lowest HRs during the activity video (gamified obstacle course: 167.2±2.4 bpm; step test: 146.0±3.5 bpm; walk test: 122.4±4.1 bpm; resistance circuit: 113.8±2.9 bpm; activity video: 105.7±2.5 bpm). There were no differences in HR by asthma status (p>0.05). RPE followed the same trend as HR but there were no significant differences in RPE (p=0.05), psychological stress or insecurity across conditions or by asthma status (p’s>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent PA of varying intensity and duration did not increase psychological stress or insecurity in children and adolescents with and without asthma. These findings provide preliminary evidence in support of using intermittent PA to promote PA participation among children and adolescents with asthma.