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Asthma, obesity impact physical activity in adolescents

Adolescents with asthma demonstrated less physical activity than those without asthma, according to study results.

Sex also appeared to effect physical activity in this group of patients, according to researchers.

Susan W. Groth, PhD, RN, an associate professor of nursing at University of Rochester Medical Center in Minnesota, and colleagues analyzed data of adolescents of women who participated in the New Mother’s Study in Tennessee from 1990-1991 to analyze the relationships between BMI, physical activity, sedentary behavior and sex in urban adolescents with or without lifetime asthma.

The analysis included 545 adolescents, 11% of whom had lifetime asthma. All adolescents with asthma participated in less physical activity and girls participated less often than boys.

Sex correlated with sedentary behavior as well (P < .001). Boys with asthma participated in less physical activity than boys without asthma (P < .05).

Girls with asthma had a higher BMI than girls without the disease (P = .027).

Physicians should focus on promoting active lifestyles in adolescents with asthma, according to the researchers.

“Clinicians who provide care for adolescents with asthma are encouraged to assess physical activity [and] sedentary behavior [to] provide guidance that promotes active lifestyles,” the researchers wrote.

Disclosure: Healio.com/Allergy was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at this time.