Are adults with asthma less physically active? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evaluation of physical activity before and after respiratory rehabilitation in normal weight individuals with asthma: a feasibility study

Background

Individuals with asthma spend less time engaging in physical activity compared to the general population. Increasing physical activity has become a patient-centered goal for the treatment of treatable traits of individuals with asthma. There are data showing the possible effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program on physical activity in obese individuals with asthma but not in normal-weight asthmatics. The objective of this feasibility study is to estimate the number of daily steps and time spent on activity in normal-weight individuals with asthma, measured before and after a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

Methods

Normal-weight individuals with moderate to severe asthma were evaluated. The individuals measured their daily steps with an accelerometer for 5 days before and after a pulmonary rehabilitation program. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05486689.

Results

In total, 17 participants were enrolled; one dropout and data on the time in activity of two individuals are missing due to a software error during the download. Data from 16 patients were analyzed. The median number of steps/day at baseline was 5,578 (25th, 75th percentiles = 4,874, 9,685) while the median activity time was 214 min (25th, 75th percentiles = 165, 239). After the rehabilitation program, the number of daily steps increased by a median value of 472 (p-value = 0.561) and the time in activity reduced by 17 min (p-value = 0.357). We also found a significant difference in quality of life, muscle strength, and exercise capacity.

Conclusions

The results of this study make it possible to calculate the sample size of future studies whose main outcome is daily steps in normal-weight individuals with asthma. The difficulties encountered in downloading time in activity data do not allow the same for this outcome.

Clinical Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05486689.

Association between illness perception and clinical control, quality of life, physical activity, and psychosocial status in subjects with moderate to severe asthma: a cluster analysis

Background: Illness perception (IP) is a psychosocial factor involved in several chronic diseases and is associated with relevant clinical outcomes. However, the relationship between IP and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), psychosocial status, and physical activity in daily life (PADL) in subjects with asthma is poorly understood.Objective: To identify groups of subjects with asthma based on their IPs and to assess their association with clinical control, HRQoL, psychosocial disturbances, and PADL.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 149 subjects with moderate to severe asthma. IP, anthropometric data, Asthma Control Questionnaire-7, Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, PADL (accelerometry), and general self-efficacy (GSE) were assessed. Cluster analysis was performed to identify clusters with similar profiles and investigate their characteristics and differences. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to test the associations between IP and other variables.Results: Statistical analyses identified two clusters of subjects with asthma based on IP. Cluster 1 presented worse IP in seven out of eight domains than Cluster 2. Cluster 1 had more negative consequences of the disease, worse understanding, and a high emotional representation of the disease than Cluster 2. Cluster 1 also had a greater extent of asthma symptoms, poor clinical control, worse HRQoL, and more symptoms of anxiety and depression. No difference between clusters was found for PADL or self-efficacy.Conclusion: Subjects with asthma who have worse IP have more negative symptoms, worse clinical control, HRQoL, and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Comparing the Effect of Acute Moderate and Vigorous Exercise on Inflammation in Adults with Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Rationale: Exercise is associated with improvements in asthma; however, the mechanisms responsible are not clear. Exercise induces changes in systemic inflammation, and it is possible that these inflammatory effects extend to the airways of people with asthma. Studies in healthy adults suggest inflammatory responses are dependent on exercise intensity: Although acute moderate exercise is antiinflammatory, acute vigorous exercise appears to be neutral or proinflammatory. The effect of exercise intensity on inflammation has not been investigated in people with asthma. Objectives: To compare acute changes in airway and systemic inflammation after a bout of moderate or vigorous exercise in physically inactive adults with asthma and to establish whether these effects differ according to asthma phenotype. Methods: Participants were randomized to either 1) control (no intervention), 2) 45 minutes of moderate exercise, or 3) 30 minutes of vigorous exercise. Induced sputum and blood samples were collected at baseline and 4 hours after intervention. Results: Fifty-six participants (75% female; mean age, 33.4 [9.9] yr) completed the trial. Moderate exercise induced a significant reduction in sputum eosinophil count (-173 [-337 to -10]; P = 0.032) and sputum percentage eosinophils (-2.2 [-4.9 to 0.5]; P = 0.049) relative to control. Vigorous exercise had no effect on airway inflammation. The antiinflammatory effects of moderate exercise were greatest in participants with eosinophilic asthma, with larger reductions in sputum eosinophils and larger increases in plasma interleukin (IL)-1ra than seen in participants with noneosinophilic asthma. Vigorous exercise induced a systemic proinflammatory response in participants with eosinophilic asthma, indicated by an increase in serum IL-5 and IL-1β; however, this had no effect on airway inflammation. Conclusions: Exercise intensity modifies the acute inflammatory response to exercise in adults with asthma. Although a bout of moderate exercise is associated with a reduction in eosinophilic airway inflammation, vigorous exercise has no effect on airway inflammation. Interestingly, the effects of moderate exercise vary by asthma phenotype, with greater antiinflammatory effects in participants with eosinophilic asthma. Future studies should examine the impact of exercise training at different intensities on inflammation and clinical asthma outcomes. Clinical trial registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN 12615000294550).

Exercise Training Programs Improve Cardiorespiratory and Functional Fitness in Adults With Asthma: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

PURPOSE

This systematic review aimed to identify the characteristics and determine the effects of exercise interventions on improving health-related physical fitness in adults with asthma.

REVIEW METHODS

A systematic search was completed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and SPORTDiscus for peer-reviewed publications of experimental studies that investigated the effects of an exercise training intervention on performance-based health-related physical fitness outcomes in adults with asthma. Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion according to predetermined criteria and performed data extraction and quality assessment of included studies.

SUMMARY

Forty-five articles were included, in which results for 39 unique studies were reported. Subjects (n = 2135) were aged 22 ± 4 to 71 ± 11 yr with mild-severe asthma. Most exercise programs used aerobic exercise, either alone or in combination with resistance or breathing/stretching exercises. The most common exercise program characteristics were supervised moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise performed for 30-45 min 3 d/wk. Meta-analyses revealed significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (V˙o2peak: unstandardized mean difference [MD] 3.1 mL/kg/min, 95% CI, 1.9-4.3), functional fitness (walking distance: MD 41 m, 95% CI, 27-54), and overall health-related physical fitness (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.67, 95% CI, 0.46-0.89) in favor of groups who underwent experimental exercise training interventions. Aerobic exercise elicited superior improvements in health-related physical fitness compared with breathing/stretching exercise (SMD 0.47, 95% CI, 0.14-0.81).Supervised exercise training programs, particularly those aerobic in nature, are effective in eliciting clinically meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory and functional fitness in adults with asthma.PROSPERO registration ID number = CRD42018092828.

Personalized Treatment of Asthma: The Importance of Sex and Gender Differences

An individual's sex (nominally male or female, based on biological attributes) and gender (a complex term referring to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and expressions of identity) influence the clinical course of asthma in several ways. The physiologic development of the lungs and effects of sex hormones may explain why more boys than girls have asthma, and after puberty, more women than men have asthma. Female sex hormones have an impact throughout the life span and are associated with poor asthma control. Gender may influence exposure to asthma triggers, and sex and gender can influence the prevalence of comorbidities and interactions with health care professionals. Despite widely reported sex- and gender-based differences in asthma and asthma management, these issues frequently are not considered by health care professionals. There is also inconsistency regarding the use of "sex" and "gender" in scientific discourse; research is needed to define sex- and gender-based differences better and how they might interact to influence asthma outcomes. This review outlines the impact an individual's sex and gender can have on the pathogenesis, clinical course, diagnosis, treatment, and management of asthma.

Recommendations for Physical Activity in Asthma: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Sports, Exercise, and Fitness Committee

Regular physical activity not only improves general health but also can positively impact asthma outcomes, such as control and quality of life. Despite this, many asthma patients do not engage in regular physical activity because they mistakenly believe that they should restrict exercise participation. Health care providers have an opportunity to influence the physical activity levels of their patients during regular office visits. Nonetheless, health care providers often overlook physical activity counseling as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy in asthma patients, and in particular, overlook physical activity counseling. Some providers who acknowledge the benefits of physical activity report being unaware how to approach a conversation with patients about this topic. To address these issues, members of the Sports, Exercise, and Fitness Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) performed a focused literature search to identify and evaluate the effects of physical activity in patients with asthma. The purpose of this report is to summarize the evidence for physical activity's impact on asthma patients' disease control, pulmonary function, and overall well-being. Several subpopulations of patients with asthma, including children, adolescents, and older adults, are considered individually. In addition, this report offers practical recommendations for clinicians, including how to identify and overcome barriers to counseling, and methods to incorporate physical activity counseling into asthma treatment practice.

The challenge of addressing obesity in people with poorly controlled asthma

Objective

There is a high prevalence of obesity in people with asthma, and obesity is associated with poorly controlled asthma. Significant weight loss might improve asthma control: the purpose of this study was to investigate patient characteristics and factors that might affect implementation of a weight loss and/or roflumilast intervention, to target both obesity and asthma.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of people with obesity and poorly controlled asthma performed at 13 sites across the United States.

Results

One hundred and two people participated in this study. Median BMI was 37 (IQR 35-42). The majority, 55%, were African American and 76% were female. Fifty two percent had very poorly controlled asthma. Most participants were quite sedentary (70% reported being inactive or participating only in light-intensity activities according to the Stanford Brief Activity Survey). Participants reported significant impairments related to physical function on the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite questionnaire (median score 67 [IQR 41-84]). Thirty-five percent of participants reported mild, and 2 % moderate, depressive symptoms as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

Conclusions

Poorly controlled asthma and obesity often affect minority populations and are associated with significant impairments in health related to physical function and low levels of physical activity that might complicate efforts to lose weight. Interventions targeted at poorly controlled asthma associated with obesity in the United States need to address factors complicating health in underserved communities, such as increasing opportunities for physical activity, while also managing activity limitations related to the combination of asthma and obesity.

Smartphone pedometers in adults with asthma: a practical approach to physical activity assessment? A pilot validation study

OBJECTIVE: 

The aim of this pilot validation study was to determine the accuracy of a smartphone (iPhone®) pedometer in adults with and without asthma.

METHODS: 

Ten adults with asthma and ten healthy controls underwent clinical assessment prior to completing two separate trials. Phase 1. standardized treadmill and self-paced walking tests. Total steps were recorded via: (i) Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 pedometer positioned on the waistband, (ii) iPhone® pedometer positioned on the upper body, (iii) iPhone® pedometer positioned on the lower body and evaluated against a video-verified manual step-count. Phase 2. step-count was evaluated over seven-days during habitual free-living conditions via Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 and iPhone® pedometers.

RESULTS: 

During treadmill walking, the iPhone® positioned on the lower body correlated strongly (r = 0.96) and produced the highest level of agreement (mean bias: -11 steps, LOA: -43 to 21 steps) in comparison to video-verified manual step-count. During self-paced walking, all devices provided an excellent step-count estimate. During free-living conditions, no difference was observed between the Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 pedometer and iPhone® (P = 0.10) and a strong correlation (r = 0.94) and acceptable agreement (mean bias: -343, LOA: -1963 to 1276 steps) was observed.

CONCLUSION: 

Our findings indicate that an in-built iPhone® pedometer offers a practical approach to physical activity assessment in adults with and without asthma. Future research is now required to further validate the precision of this approach and evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of smartphone pedometers to monitor and promote physical activity when employed during medical consultation and/or clinical research trials.