Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Nov 1;42(6):423-433.
doi: 10.1097/HCR.0000000000000698. Epub 2022 Jul 25.

Exercise Training Programs Improve Cardiorespiratory and Functional Fitness in Adults With Asthma: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Sarah R Valkenborghs  1 , Sophie L Anderson, Hayley A Scott, Robin Callister
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Exercise Training Programs Improve Cardiorespiratory and Functional Fitness in Adults With Asthma: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Sarah R Valkenborghs et al. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. .

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to identify the characteristics and determine the effects of exercise interventions on improving health-related physical fitness in adults with asthma.

Review methods: A systematic search was completed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and SPORTDiscus for peer-reviewed publications of experimental studies that investigated the effects of an exercise training intervention on performance-based health-related physical fitness outcomes in adults with asthma. Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion according to predetermined criteria and performed data extraction and quality assessment of included studies.

Summary: Forty-five articles were included, in which results for 39 unique studies were reported. Subjects (n = 2135) were aged 22 ± 4 to 71 ± 11 yr with mild-severe asthma. Most exercise programs used aerobic exercise, either alone or in combination with resistance or breathing/stretching exercises. The most common exercise program characteristics were supervised moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise performed for 30-45 min 3 d/wk. Meta-analyses revealed significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (V˙o2peak: unstandardized mean difference [MD] 3.1 mL/kg/min, 95% CI, 1.9-4.3), functional fitness (walking distance: MD 41 m, 95% CI, 27-54), and overall health-related physical fitness (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.67, 95% CI, 0.46-0.89) in favor of groups who underwent experimental exercise training interventions. Aerobic exercise elicited superior improvements in health-related physical fitness compared with breathing/stretching exercise (SMD 0.47, 95% CI, 0.14-0.81).Supervised exercise training programs, particularly those aerobic in nature, are effective in eliciting clinically meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory and functional fitness in adults with asthma.PROSPERO registration ID number = CRD42018092828.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Global Asthma Network. The Global Asthma Report. Auckland, New Zealand: Global Asthma Network; 2018.
    1. Morton AR, Fitch KD. Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science position statement on exercise and asthma. J Sci Med Sport. 2011;14(4):312–316.
    1. Freeman AT, Hill D, Newell C, et al. Patient perceived barriers to exercise and their clinical associations in difficult asthma. Asthma Res Pract. 2020;6:5.
    1. Mancuso CA, Sayles W, Robbins L, et al. Barriers and facilitators to healthy physical activity in asthma patients. J Asthma. 2006;43(2):137–143.
    1. Cordova-Rivera L, Gibson PG, Gardiner PA, McDonald VM. A systematic review of associations of physical activity and sedentary time with asthma outcomes. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018;6(6):1968–1981.e2.