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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Published on: August 24, 2019

Aerobic exercise improves lung function in children with intellectual disability: a randomised trial.

Mohammad A Khalili¹, Mark R Elkins

¹Faculty of Rehabilitation, Semnan University (Medical Sciences), Semnan, Iran. moh35ir@yahoo.co.UK

The Australian Journal of Physiotherapy

|August 18, 2009

Summary

Aerobic exercise significantly improves lung function in children with intellectual disability. An 8-week program enhanced measures like forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC).

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Published on: August 24, 2019

Area of Science:

Pediatric Pulmonology
Developmental Pediatrics
Exercise Physiology

Background:

Children with intellectual disability often have reduced lung function compared to typically developing peers.
Understanding factors that can improve respiratory health in this population is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if children with intellectual disability have lower lung function than healthy peers.
To determine if an aerobic exercise program can improve lung function in these children.

Main Methods:

A randomized trial with blinded assessors was conducted.
Forty-four 12-year-old children with intellectual disability participated.
The intervention group engaged in 8 weeks of supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling) for 30 minutes, five days a week.

Main Results:

Baseline lung function (FEV1 and FVC) was lower than predicted normal values.
The exercise group showed significantly greater improvements in FEV1 (160 ml) and FVC (330 ml) compared to the control group after 8 weeks.

Conclusions:

An 8-week aerobic exercise program leads to significant improvements in lung function for children with intellectual disability.
This intervention offers a viable strategy to enhance respiratory health in this population.