Interventions to Promote Physical Activity May Benefit Asthma Patients

MONDAY, Jan. 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Interventions that promote physical activity have significant benefits in terms of increasing physical activity, decreasing sedentary time, and improving quality of life in patients with asthma, according to a review published online Dec. 29 in the Journal of Health Psychology.

Leanne Tyson, Ph.D., from Norwich Medical School at the East Anglia in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of interventions that promote physical activity among people with asthma and identify the behavior change techniques (BCTs) and other intervention components that were used. Data were reviewed from 25 studies.

The researchers found that interventions that promote physical activity had significant benefits in terms of increasing physical activity, decreasing time spent sedentary, improving quality of life, and reducing asthma symptoms. There was no evidence of a positive effect on asthma control or medication usage. Most interventions were delivered by a combination of providers, were delivered face-to-face and within groups, or used a combination of group and individual sessions. Regardless of their effectiveness, similar BCTs were employed across interventions.

"We recommend that future interventions include evidence-based techniques that prompt self-regulation of behavior and sustain motivation and behavior change," the authors write.

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