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Published on: September 20, 2018
Daily physical activity patterns in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease
Jérémy Vanhelst1,2, Laurent Béghin3,4, Dominique Turck3,5
1Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1286 - INFINITE - Institute for Translational Research in Inflammation, 59000, Lille, France. jeremy.vanhelst@chru-lille.fr.
Insights
Children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) show similar physical activity (PA) levels to healthy peers, though males with IBD engage in less moderate-to-vigorous PA. Most IBD patients do not meet daily PA recommendations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Clinical research
- Public health
Background:
- Limited data exists on physical activity (PA) patterns in pediatric patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Assessing PA in this population is crucial for understanding overall health and disease management.
- Methodological challenges in previous PA assessments necessitate objective measurement approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare physical activity patterns in children and adolescents with IBD against healthy controls.
- To identify potential differences in PA levels and adherence to health recommendations between IBD patients and their healthy peers.
- To investigate PA patterns across different IBD subtypes and disease activity levels.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 60 pediatric patients with IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBD-unclassified) in remission or with mild disease was studied.
- Participants were compared with 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Objective PA quantification was performed using triaxial accelerometers worn for four consecutive days.
Main Results:
- No significant overall difference in daily PA patterns was observed between IBD patients and healthy controls.
- 31.7% of IBD patients and 38.3% of controls met the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
- Male patients with IBD showed significantly less MVPA (16.2 min/day) than controls, while females did not differ; sedentary patterns were similar.
Conclusions:
- Children and adolescents with inactive or mild IBD exhibit comparable PA patterns to healthy individuals, with the exception of reduced MVPA in males.
- A majority of pediatric IBD patients do not achieve the recommended daily MVPA for optimal health benefits.
- These findings highlight the need for targeted PA interventions, particularly for male patients with IBD.
Background:
The aim of this study was to assess PA patterns among children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Methods:
Sixty participants with IBD (42 Crohn's disease [CD], 10 ulcerative colitis [UC], and 8 IBD-unclassified [IBD-U], 30 male patients) in remission (n = 45) or with mild disease (n = 15) were compared with 60 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Each participant wore a triaxial accelerometer during 4 consecutive days for objective daily PA quantification.
Results:
Overall, there was no significant difference in daily PA patterns between patients with IBD and healthy controls, with 31.7% of patients with IBD and 38.3% of healthy controls fulfilling the recommendation of 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily (NS). Male patients with IBD spent significantly less time in MVPA compared with matched healthy controls (mean difference, 16.2 min day-1; p < 0.05). No difference was observed for female patients with IBD. No difference in sedentary pattern between male patients with IBD and controls was found.
Conclusions:
Children and adolescents with inactive or mildly active IBD have similar PA patterns compared with healthy controls, except for male patients who have reduced moderate-to-vigorous PA. By far, most patients with IBD do not fulfill the MVPA recommendations for health benefits.
Impact:
There is few data on PA patterns in pediatric patients with IBD. Methodological issues to assess PA limit the strengths of these studies. Pediatric IBD patients with inactive or mildly active IBD have similar physical activity patterns compared with healthy controls, except for male patients who have reduced moderate-to-vigorous PA. Most patients with IBD do not fulfill the MVPA recommendations for health benefits.
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