Effects of Swimming for Children with Asthma

The aim of this study was to determine if swimming improved lung function and asthma symptoms in asthmatic children when compared to other forms of exercise and a control group.

Forty-One children were randomly assigned to either one of three different exercise training groups (swimming, football, or basketball) or a control group.

Spirometry was performed before and after, and subjects were asked to keep asthma diaries and perform daily peak flow measurements.

After completing the training, participants in all 3 exercise groups had significantly higher forced vital capacity percentage values when compared to the control group.

Additionally, the swimming group demonstrated a significant increase in the percentage peak expiratory flow following the exercise program when compared to the control group.

All children in the exercise programs reported improvements in their asthma symptoms.

Reference:

Carew, C., & Cox, D. W. (2018). Laps or lengths? The effects of different exercise programs on asthma control in children. Journal of Asthma, 55. Doi: 10.1080/02770903.2017.1373806