We report on an
interesting prospective survey in CF children aimed at evaluating regular physical and sports
activities in daily life in relation to social parameters and CF disease severity:
A self administered questionnaire was sent to the 130 families with a CF child over 3 years of
age who are regularly seen in our CF center. Questions concerned school (absenteeism, scholastic
results, sports activities), life-style (city size, family sports habits, sports activities outside
school) and we added CF nutritional assessment (age and sex specific weight and height z-scores) and
pulmonary function tests (forced expiratory volume (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC)). We had a
95% completion rate and found the children (66 males, 59 females) had a mean age of 11 years.
Respectively 15, 34 and 45% were at nursery, elementary, junior/high school and 6% were older.
Overall CF disease severity was mild with mean FEV1: 85%, FVC: 91%, weight z-score: 0.00 ±
1.11, height z-score: 0.09 ± 1.05.
Analysis of school data demonstrated: low rate of absenteeism (never: 29%, seldom:
57%), scholastic results were good in 53% but poor in 13%, 58% walked to school (mean daily time: 10
mn) ; 62% participated in all sport activities, 4% in none and 34% electively avoided one activity
(swimming).
Analysis of life-style data demonstrated: 75% large city/suburbs
and 15% rural residencies; 19% single parent family; 38% home maker; 34% sedentary and 21% active
life-style; 77% had sports activities outside school, in a club for 70%, more than once a week for
33%, and 16% were practicing at a competition level. Leisure was the main motivation (77%).
We found no correlation between sports activities in daily life and age, scholastic
results, city size, home marker, FEV1, but a strong correlation with family active life-style (p
< 0.003) and weight z-score (p < 0.06).
 | L to R: A Gaudelet, Michèle
GĂ©rardin, Isabelle Zaccaria, Bertrand Delaisi, Antonia Vital-Foucher, and Anne
Munck | |
Regular physical and sports activities have become
an essential part of physiotherapy management in CF. They enable patients to maintain muscular
strength and mobility, slow the respiratory decline1, improve the sense of well-being
with a positive psychological impact, prevent the decrease in bone mass density2.
However in the literature, CF patients are reported as being engaged in less vigorous sports
activities than healthy controls with a decline in participation for the older CF
teenagers3-4.
Our CF center’s physiotherapists emphasize the
importance of sports activities to children and their parents at each yearly assessment and this
may explain our good results.
In conclusion, this report demonstrates that only 4% of
CF children avoided sports activities at school; up to 77% had sports activities in their daily
life and 16% reached a competition level. Age, lung function, scholastic results, city size, single
parent family were parameters which didn’t correlate with sports activities but an active
family life-style strongly correlated.
We need to encourage families and children in
sports activities at a younger age that might ensure a long term practice in adulthood with
expected medical benefits.
1. Schnelderman-Walker J et al. Sex differences in
habitual physical activity and lung function decline in children with cystic fibrosis. J
Pediatr 2005; 147 : 321-6.
2. Boot AM et al. Bone mineral
density in children and adolescents:relation to puberty, calcium intake and physical activity. J
Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82 : 57-62.
3. Britto MT et al.
Comparison of physical activity in adolescents with cystic fibrosis versus age-matched controls.
Pediatr Pulmonol 2000; 30 : 86-91.
4. Youth and
Sports Ministry data. INSEE n°1008 March, 2005 www.insee.fr
