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Longitudinal study of free running exercise challenge: reproducibility
C V Powell1, R D White, R A Primhak
1University Department of Paediatrics, Children's Hospital, Sheffield.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|February 1, 1996
Summary
Free running exercise challenges are not reproducible in children aged 8-10. This finding suggests exercise testing is unreliable for community screening and asthma epidemiological studies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Physiology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Community Health Research
Background:
- The free running exercise challenge is a method to assess physiological responses.
- Reproducibility of such tests in children is crucial for reliable data collection.
- Previous studies have not sufficiently examined this in a general pediatric population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reproducibility of the free running exercise challenge in children aged 8-10 years.
- To determine the reliability of using exercise-induced changes in peak expiratory flow (PEF) as an indicator.
- To assess the suitability of this test for community-based screening and epidemiological research.
Main Methods:
- A standardized protocol was used for monthly exercise tests over one year.
- 143 children aged 8-10 years participated in the study.
- A positive test was defined by a 15% or 20% fall in peak expiratory flow (PEF) post-exercise.
Main Results:
- The mean population frequency for a positive test (15% PEF fall) was 14.9% with a coefficient of variation of 24.6%.
- For a 20% PEF fall, the mean frequency was 7.9% with a coefficient of variation of 27.8%.
- Over 50% of children had at least one positive response at the 15% PEF fall threshold.
Conclusions:
- Free running exercise testing demonstrates poor reproducibility in an unselected pediatric population within a community setting.
- The exercise challenge is not recommended as a screening tool for respiratory conditions in children.
- Exercise data from large-scale epidemiological studies on asthma in children should be interpreted with significant caution due to potential variability.