Benefits of Physical Activity Interventions for Asthmatic Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

As an asthma patient since age 3, I have witnessed the effectiveness and importance of physical activity as an aid in asthma management and control. However, despite the extensive research supporting the physiological, social and psychological benefits of an active lifestyle for asthmatic children, very few physical activity interventions that focus on improved changes in long-term exercise behavior have been implemented. Therefore, this thesis is a systematic literature review aimed to synthesize and describe the benefits associated with implementing physical activity interventions for asthmatic children. Additionally, after completion of a detailed systematic review and synthesis of published physical activity interventions, a correlate research literature search was also completed to better understand factors related with physical activity for asthmatic children. Results suggested that asthmatic children benefit a great deal from exercise participation and leading an acitve lifestyle, especially when a proper physical activity intervention was constructed and implemented. It is important for researchers to learn from previously implemented interventions so as to create more effective approaches to increase physical activity participation of asthmatic children.