Aerobic Training Benefits Children with Asthma

INDIANAPOLIS -- Children with asthma can benefit from aerobic training and improve their cardiopulmonary fitness while decreasing the use of inhalers, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

The study observed 38 children with moderate-to-severe asthma who were randomly assigned to either a trained group or a control group. Exercise-performance and exercise-induced asthma were studied 16 weeks apart, and the daily doses of inhaled steroids were monitored and recorded as well.

Results showed that children with moderate to severe asthma had major improvements in their aerobic capacity, and their level of exercise-induced asthma decreased after the program’s completion. The doses of inhaled steroids decreased in the children in the trained group by 52 percent but remained unchanged in the control group.