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Physical Self-Concept and Physical Activity in Children with Congenital Heart Defects-Can We Point Out Differences to
Jannos Siaplaouras1, Annika Jahn2, Paul Helm3
1Praxis am Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus, 36037 Fulda, Germany.
Insights
Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) show a strong link between physical activity and physical self-concept. Despite similar self-concepts, their physical activity levels are lower than healthy peers, highlighting a need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Developmental Psychology
- Sports Science
Background:
- Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) face increased risks for cardiovascular disease.
- Promoting a physically active lifestyle is crucial for this population.
- Physical self-concept (PSC) may influence physical activity (PA) in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between PSC and PA in children with CHD.
- To compare PA and PSC between children with CHD and healthy peers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the S-BAHn-Study, focusing on PSC assessed via the German Physical Self-Description Questionnaire.
- Compared data from 1,198 children with CHD to a matched sample of 3,385 healthy children from the Motorik Modul Study.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between PA and PSC in both children with CHD and the control group (p < 0.001).
- Physical activity was significantly reduced in all CHD patient groups compared to controls (p < 0.001).
- PSC did not differ significantly between children with simple CHD and their healthy peers (p > 0.24).
Conclusions:
- A clear relationship exists between PA and PSC in children with CHD and healthy children.
- Despite comparable PSC in simple CHD cases, PA remains significantly lower, indicating a need for interventions.
- Strategies to promote physically active lifestyles in children with CHD are essential, irrespective of defect severity.
Objective:
Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) are at high risk for cardiovascular disease in addition to their congenital disease, so it is important to motivate this group of patients to live a physically active lifestyle. A potential influencing determinant of younger children's physical performance is the physical self-concept. The objective of the present study was first to evaluate the correlation between the physical self-concept (PSC) and the participation in physical activities (PA) of a representative group of children with congenital heart disease (CHD), and second to point out differences in comparison to their healthy peer group.
Methods:
Using the database of PA of the S-BAHn-Study we focused on physical self-concept assessed by the German version of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire. We compare the obtained data of children with CHD to a representative age-matched sample of 3.385 participants of the Motorik Modul Study.
Results:
N = 1.198 complete datasets could be included in the analyses. The mean age of patients was 11.6 ± 3.1 years. For the total cohort of patients with CHD and the reference group, PA correlated significantly with a positive PSC (p < 0.001). PA was significantly reduced in all groups of patients despite the severity of their heart defect (p < 0.001). Remarkably, PSC did not differ statistically significantly in patients with simple CHD from the reference collective (p > 0.24).
Conclusions:
According to this representative survey, there is a clear relation between PA and PSC in the cohort of healthy children and the group of children with CHD throughout the severity of their heart defects. Although PSC did not differ in patients with simple CHD and their healthy peer group, PA was significantly reduced. This gap invites us to reflect on how we could break new ground to promote a physically active lifestyle in children with CHD regardless of the severity of their cardiac defects.
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