Exercise Program For Children Research Articles

Effects of a Weight-bearing Exercise Program in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Effects of a Weight-bearing Exercise Program in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Exercise rehabilitation of pediatric patients with cardiovascular disease

Physical activity can augment the function of virtually all organs. The benefits of exercise programs in children include improved strength, cardiovascular and pulmonary function, functional status and quality of life. Children with cardiovascular disease, either congenital or acquired, can benefit from exercise with better cardiac function and minimizing risk factors associated with progressive heart dysfunction. For the child scheduled for elective cardiovascular surgery, a supervised physical activity intervention before and after surgery may result in improved outcomes. An overview of the benefits and contraindications for exercise in children with or who are at risk for cardiovascular disease is presented. Furthermore, an outline for the development of a hospital-based exercise program is offered.

Home-based exercise programs in cystic fibrosis: Are they worth it?

Home-based exercise programs in cystic fibrosis: Are they worth it?

Injury Risk of Supervised Exercise for Children and Youth with Chronic Diseases: 5-Year Experience

Little information is available on the safety of supervised exercise programs for children. This retrospective case review describes the experience over 5 years in a private, outpatient, physician-directed therapeutic exercise program. Observations were made on a total of 47 patients referred by their physicians or parents for exercise programs for diseases, including obesity (26), cystic fibrosis (10), cardiac disease (3), asthma (3), and others (5). Patients performed circuit training with an exposure that consisted of 2,646 total sessions (56.3 ± 63.3 sessions/patient), equivalent to 1,507.9 hours (32.1 ± 35.5 hr/patient) of exercise time. There were three minor accidents (1.9/1,000 patient hours). Physical examination by the attending physician was negative in all three cases: No treatment was indicated, and no patient missed any training time due to these incidents. No significant injuries or cardiorespiratory complications were observed in this exercise program.

Children, Sports, and Chronic Disease.

In brief Chronic disease afflicts several million children in the United States, many of whom face the additional burden of having their physical activities unnecessarily restricted. Yet sports and exercise can alleviate symptoms as well as improve a child's psychosocial development and quality of life. Physicians should consider prescribing exercise programs for children with cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. They should also strongly advocate these children's right to engage in whatever levels of physical activity will allow them to reach their potential.

The effect of a home exercise programme in children with cystic fibrosis and asthma.

Sixty-nine children with asthma and 86 with cystic fibrosis (CF) were assessed for lung function, respiratory muscle function and exercise tolerance. Thirty-seven with asthma and 41 with CF subsequently undertook an at home exercise program and the remainder were matched controls. There was no significant change in pulmonary function after 3 months of the exercise program. Compliance with the program decreased markedly towards the end of the 3 months and this lack of compliance may have contributed to the failure to show any significant training effect. A previously supervised program showed increased fitness and increased peak pressures in children with asthma following intensive exercise. There appears limited value in promoting unsupervised home exercise programs for children with CF and asthma. In those groups of children who will benefit with increased physical activity, supervised programs and more interesting play activities may need to be organized to obtain optimal benefit.

Exercise Programs for Children: A Way to Prevent Heart Disease?

In brief Physical activity patterns of 59 children were determined by recording heart rates before and during an exercise intervention program for coronary heart disease risk. Twenty-six children engaged in 25-minute aerobic activity sessions four days a week for eight months; the control group took regular physical education classes. Baseline data revealed that both groups had similar activity patterns, that the children seldom attained a heart rate greater than 160 beats min-1, and that the boys expended significantly more energy per day than the girls. The activity patterns of children in the experimental group improved significantly.