Performance by middle school children with and without asthma on the pacer

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Exercise Physiology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition affecting children, leading to airway inflammation and obstruction.
• It is a significant cause of school absenteeism, impacting physical education and health assessments.
• Assessing aerobic performance in children with asthma is crucial for understanding their physical capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the aerobic performance of children with and without asthma over an extended period.
• To determine the effectiveness of the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test for assessing aerobic fitness in this population.
• To investigate the longitudinal changes in aerobic capacity in school-aged children with mild-moderate asthma.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 809 students (Grades 4-8), including 103 with mild-moderate asthma, participated in the study.
• Participants completed the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test three times during the first school year and twice during the second.
• Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was employed to analyze longitudinal aerobic performance data.

Main Results:

• Children with asthma demonstrated a significantly higher rate of improvement in PACER scores (more than double) compared to children without asthma, despite lower initial scores.
• Aerobic performance gains were observed over the 15-month study period for both groups.
• The PACER test proved effective in assessing aerobic capacity in middle school children with well-managed asthma.

Conclusions:

• Children with asthma exhibit a greater capacity for aerobic fitness improvement over time compared to their non-asthmatic peers.
• Repeated aerobic fitness assessments, such as the PACER, are valuable for accurately tracking the progress of children with asthma.
• The PACER is a suitable tool for evaluating the aerobic performance of middle school students with managed asthma.