These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Exercise behavior in asthmatic children: effects of a summer camp fitness program in Taiwan.
    Author: Lin HL, Wang SY, Chen WY, Chen CH.
    Journal: Kaohsiung J Med Sci; 2008 Jun; 24(6):297-305. PubMed ID: 18635415.
    Abstract:
    This quasi experimental study aimed to examine the effects of a swimming-focused summer camp program on self-efficacy and exercise behavioral change in schoolchildren with asthma and their parental support. Forty-one asthmatic schoolchildren were recruited from a medical center and an asthma education association in southern Taiwan. The participants in the summer camp program were assigned to the experimental group; the control group comprised those who did not attend the summer camp program. Each child was paired with a parent. A total of 16 child-parent pairs in the experimental group and 25 pairs in the control group were followed-up. This 1.5-day asthma summer camp program included 20 minutes of health education in physical activity, two sessions of swimming practice for the children, and a 2-hour conference with the parents. The outcome measures included an Exercise Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Stages of Exercise Behavior Change Questionnaire, and a Parental Support for Exercise Questionnaire. Before implementing the program, the two groups differed significantly in terms of the severity of their asthma, as well as their pre-camp test scores of exercise self-efficacy. Therefore, asthma severity levels and scores from the pre-camp exercise self-efficacy test were selected as two ANCOVA covariates. The adjusted means for stages of exercise behavior change on the 2-month post-camp test were significantly different between the two groups, F(1, 37) = 5.88 and p = 0.02. Compared with the control group, subjects who attended the summer camp reported more regular exercise behavior at the 2-month post-camp test. Thus, a summer camp program with swimming instruction can enhance the exercise behavior of schoolchildren with asthma. This program is highly recommended for managing schoolchildren with asthma.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]