Classroom-Based Strategies to Reduce Disparities in Physical Activity Among Children with Asthma

Lexie R Beemer; Toby C Lewis; Tiwaloluwa A Ajibewa; Richard Dopp; Andria B Eisman; Rebecca E Hasson

doi:10.1007/s11121-022-01347-7

Classroom-Based Strategies to Reduce Disparities in Physical Activity Among Children with Asthma

Prev Sci. 2022 May;23(4):587-597. doi: 10.1007/s11121-022-01347-7. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Authors

Lexie R Beemer^{1

2}, Toby C Lewis^{3

4}, Tiwaloluwa A Ajibewa^{1

2}, Richard Dopp⁴, Andria B Eisman⁵, Rebecca E Hasson^{6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Childhood Disparities Research Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁵ College of Education, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
⁶ School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. hassonr@umich.edu.
⁷ Childhood Disparities Research Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. hassonr@umich.edu.
⁸ School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. hassonr@umich.edu.

PMID: 35080712
DOI: 10.1007/s11121-022-01347-7

Abstract

Children with asthma often experience physical activity (PA) induced symptoms 5-15 min following the start of exercise. Classroom PA breaks provide short intermittent bouts of PA and may represent a novel strategy to safely promote PA participation in this clinical population. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a classroom-based PA intervention, Interrupting Prolonged Sitting with Activity (InPACT), where teachers implement 5 × 4-min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) breaks throughout the school day. Nine classrooms at one elementary-middle school in Detroit, MI (student demographics: 79% Hispanic; 80% on free/reduced lunch; 31% prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms) participated in this 20-week intervention. Asthma status was self-reported via the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Video Questionnaire in conjunction with nurse documentation. PA participation, exercise intensity, and asthmatic symptom occurrence were assessed via direct observation. Students accumulated approximately 17 min of activity per day during PA breaks. Compared to students without asthma, a higher percentage of students with asthma participated in MVPA (asthma: 52.9% ± 1.2%; non-asthma: 46.2% ± 0.8%; p = 0.01), a lower percentage participated in light PA (asthma: 25.9% ± 1.0%; non-asthma: 30.1% ± 0.7%; p = 0.01), and sedentary time during activity breaks (asthma: 21.2% ± 0.9%; non-asthma: 23.8% ± 0.7%; p = 0.02). Out of 294 observations, six instances of asthmatic symptoms (coughing) were observed in students with asthma 5-15 min following the PA break. Symptoms self-resolved within 15-min of the PA break and did not result in sustained exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Classroom-based interventions that incorporate short intermittent bouts of PA represent safe exercises for children with asthma and may help to reduce PA disparities in this clinical population.

Keywords: Adolescents; Asthma; Children; Classroom-based physical activity; Intermittent exercise.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Asthma*
Child
Exercise*
Humans
Schools
Sedentary Behavior
Students