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Association of environmental, demographic and clinical parameters with physical activity in children with asthma

Jane Berrill1, Peter James1, Antonis Michanikou2

  • 1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA.

Scientific Reports
|January 22, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Children with asthma reduce physical activity during precipitation and with higher PM10 pollution. Temperature shows an inverted U-shape effect, and higher BMI z-scores are linked to fewer steps, informing asthma intervention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Environmental Health
  • Exercise Science

Background:

  • Reduced physical activity is common in children, influenced by personal factors, weather, and air pollution.
  • The specific impact of these factors on physical activity levels in children with asthma is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To objectively measure physical activity in children with asthma.
  • To investigate the associations between physical activity and environmental, personal, and clinical factors in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study (LIFE-MEDEA asthma study) involving 186 children with asthma.
  • Objective physical activity monitoring using EMRACE™ smartwatches with GPS data collection over 4 months.
  • Statistical analysis using mixed-effects regression models to assess relationships between physical activity and environmental/personal data.

Main Results:

  • Precipitation days were associated with a significant decrease in daily steps (796 steps).
  • Each 10 µg/m³ increase in PM10 pollution correlated with a decrease of 96 steps.
  • Temperature exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with daily steps, and higher BMI z-scores were negatively associated with physical activity.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental factors like precipitation and air pollution (PM10) significantly reduce physical activity in children with asthma.
  • Personal factors including temperature and BMI z-score also influence activity levels.
  • Findings can guide the development of targeted physical activity interventions for pediatric asthma management.

Keywords:
Air pollutionChildhood asthmaPedometerPhysical activityWeather

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