Exercise strategies for reversing cardiopulmonary deconditioning in obese children with bronchial asthma: A randomized comparative effectiveness study of constant-load and graded aerobic training

Background: This study evaluates the differential effects of constant-load (CL-AE) and graded (G-AE) aerobic exercise training approaches on cardiopulmonary fitness and functional capacity in obese children with bronchial asthma (BA). Methods: Seventy-eight obese children with moderate BA (age: 14.14 ± 2.31 years; body mass index: 31.93 ± 1.26 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to 3 intervention-based groups: control, CL-AE, or G-AE group (n = 26 in a group). The cardiorespiratory fitness (peak oxygen uptake, minute ventilation [VE], ventilation-oxygen uptake ratio, stroke volume of oxygen, oxygen/carbon-dioxide exchange ratio, heart rate maximum, and heart rate recovery at one minute) and functional capacity (6-minute walk test and perceived dyspnea and fatigue) were assessed at the baseline and posttreatment. Results: The G-AE group exhibited more favorable changes in cardiorespiratory fitness [VO2peak (P = .03), VE (P = .021), VE/VO2 (P = .032), SVO2 (P = .025), O2/CO2 ratio (P = .004), HRmax (P = .016), HRR1 (P = .046)] and functional capacity [6-minute walk test (P = .021), dyspnea (P = .041), fatigue (P = .04)] as compared to the CL-AE group. Conclusion: The G-AE, compared to CL-AE, appears to be a more potent stimulus for enhancing cardiorespiratory fitness and functional capacity in obese children with BA. Further investigations are, however, required to corroborate the observed effects.