Exercise for Children with Asthma: New Recommendations and Guidelines

Strategic Insights -

Children with asthma have been advised against engaging in physical activities due to concerns about exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. However, recent evidence suggests that exercise can improve disease control, lung function, and quality of life. A multidisciplinary team of experts has developed recommendations on the safety, benefits, and key factors of exercise for children with asthma. The recommendations, initiated by the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, aim to provide guidance for the development and implementation of individualized exercise prescriptions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study was conducted by a team of 17 experts from the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and the Zhejiang University School of Medicine.
  • A comprehensive literature search yielded 64 studies that met inclusion criteria, which were evaluated using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2011 levels of evidence.
  • Two rounds of expert voting were conducted using Delphi methodology to formulate final recommendations on key clinical topics.
  • Recommendations were formulated across nine core domains, including exercise safety, exercise-related benefits, pre-exercise screening, exercise prescription design, and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
  • Specific guidance is offered on individualized exercise planning based on asthma control status, physical fitness, exercise habits, and environmental factors.
  • Recommendations also address appropriate modalities of aerobic, resistance, and flexibility training, strategies for monitoring intensity and progression, and pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to exercise-induced bronchoconstriction prevention and management.
  • The recommendations highlight the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and reinforce exercise as an integral component of asthma management.

Statistics:

  • 64 studies were included in the literature search, evaluated using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2011 levels of evidence.
  • 17 experts from the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and the Zhejiang University School of Medicine were involved in the development of the recommendations.
  • Recommended exercise protocols involve individualized planning based on asthma control status, physical fitness, exercise habits, and environmental factors.
  • The study emphasizes the need for further high-quality clinical research to optimize exercise protocols and evaluate long-term outcomes.

Sources:

  • Comprehensive exercise recommendations for pediatric asthma: an evidence synthesis. World Journal of Pediatrics, 2025.
  • Zhejiang Univ Press, Xixi Campus, Zhejiang University, No. 148 Tianmushan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China.
  • Hong-Zhen Xu, Nursing Department, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310052, People's Republic of China.