Effectiveness of a home-based exercise program on functional outcomes in women with asthma: A randomized controlled...

Exercise training is a crucial non-pharmacological approach in asthma management, yet asthmatic patients are not routinely referred to these programs. Recognizing that significant benefits can be achieved even with highly accessible, standardized exercise programs, the aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of a standardized, low-cost, and easily implementable home-based exercise program, supported by weekly supervision, in women with asthma.

Thirty female patients with asthma were randomized into training and control groups. Patients in the training group participated in supervised exercise sessions with a physiotherapist once a week for 8 weeks and performed the prescribed exercise program at home 3 days per week. The control group received general physical activity recommendations via an educational booklet. Primary outcomes were respiratory function assessed using spirometry and functional capacity assessed using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Secondary outcomes included asthma control assessed using the Asthma Control Test, dyspnea assessed using the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC), health-related quality of life assessed using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and lower extremity muscle strength assessed using the 30-second sit-to-stand test (30-s STST).

The training group showed statistically significant improvements in peak expiratory flow parameter of spirometry (PEF%), 6MWT, activity subscore of SGRQ, and 30-s STST values compared with the control group (p < 0.05).

This study demonstrates that a standardized, accessible, and sustainable home-based exercise program, supplemented by minimal supervision, was associated with significantly greater improvements compared to general physical activity recommendations in enhancing key outcomes in asthma management. This approach offers a valuable, low-cost alternative for reducing sedentary behavior and improving clinical outcomes, particularly in settings where access to complex or technologically advanced rehabilitation centers is limited. These findings may be particularly relevant for women with asthma, who often face greater barriers to physical activity and experience a higher symptom burden.

This trial registration was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, ID number: NCT04088669.