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Psychological Effects of a Structured Exercise Intervention During Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children
Lu Huang1,2, Yun Wu1, Ming Xu1
1The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Insights
Structured exercise interventions may help reduce fatigue and improve quality of life (QoL) in pediatric patients undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). This approach also appears to shorten hospital stays for these young patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Rehabilitation Sciences
Background:
- Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in children and adolescents often leads to significant fatigue and reduced quality of life (QoL).
- Managing these adverse effects is crucial for improving patient outcomes during the inpatient period.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a structured exercise intervention on fatigue, QoL, and clinical outcomes in pediatric UCBT patients.
- To determine if exercise can mitigate the decline in QoL and increase in fatigue during UCBT.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 48 pediatric participants undergoing UCBT.
- Participants were assigned to either a control group (usual care) or an intervention group (structured exercise).
- Assessments of fatigue and QoL were conducted at admission, 14 days post-transplant, and at discharge, with clinical outcomes tracked via medical records.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed a trend towards better outcomes, with reduced hospital length of stay compared to the control group (P=0.034).
- While fatigue and QoL scores declined over time in the control group, the exercise intervention aimed to attenuate this decline.
- Adherence to the exercise program was 70.59%, with participants engaging in an average of 2.12 sessions per week.
Conclusions:
- Structured exercise interventions may offer a protective effect against fatigue and QoL decline in pediatric UCBT patients.
- Exercise may contribute to a shorter hospitalization duration for children and adolescents undergoing UCBT.
- Further research is warranted to optimize exercise protocols for this vulnerable population.
Background:
Children and adolescents undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are faced with severe fatigue and a decline in quality of life (QoL) during the inpatient period.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of a structured exercise intervention on fatigue, QoL and clinical outcomes among children and adolescents during UCBT.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled trial, participants (n = 48) were randomized to a control group (CG: usual care) or an intervention group (IG: a structured exercise intervention). Fatigue and QoL were assessed at hospital admission, 14 days after UCBT, and at discharge using linear mixed model analysis. In addition, engraftment kinetics, supportive treatment, transplant-related complications, and hospital length of stay were derived from medical records.
Results:
4 patients completed the study, the IG participated in an average of 2.12 (1.36-2.8) sessions with a duration of 24 (16-34) min weekly, and the total rate of adherence to the training program was 70.59%. For fatigue and QoL, there was a significant effect of time in the control group, with the total score of fatigue decreased from T1 to T2 (73.9vs 60.9, P = .001) and T1 to T3 (73.9vs 65.6, P = .049), and the QoL scores decreased from T1 to T2 (73.9vs 66.1, P = .043). The hospital length of stay was less in the intervention group (P = .034).
Conclusion:
Our randomized study indicated that structured exercise interventions might exert a protective effect by attenuating the decline in fatigue and QoL, and shortening duration of hospitalization.
