Effectiveness of nordic walking in patients with asthma: A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Autores da FMUP

• Cristina Isabel Oliveira Jácome

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Vilanova-Pereira, M
• Prado, MJR
• Barral-Fernandez, M
• Aparicio, MB
• Garcia-Boente, LF
• Lista-Paz, A

Unidades de investigação

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina da Comunidade, Informação e Decisão em Saúde

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Background Patients with asthma often consider their symptomatology a barrier to exercise, leading to a reduced physical activity level. This study aims to determine whether the effect of a Nordic walking (NW) training program plus education and usual care is superior to educational and usual care only, in terms of exercise tolerance and other health-related outcomes in patients with asthma. The second aim is to explore the patients' experience with the NW program.Methods A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 114 adults with asthma recruited in sanitary area of A Coruna, Spain. Participants will be randomized to NW or control groups in blocks of six and in the same proportion in each group. Participants in the NW group will enrol in supervised sessions during eight weeks, three times/week. All participants will receive three educational sessions on asthma self-management plus usual care (S1 Appendix). Outcomes such as exercise tolerance (primary outcome), physical activity level, asthma-related symptoms and asthma control, dyspnea, lung function, handgrip strength, health related quality of life, quality of sleep, treatment adherence and healthcare resources use will be measured pre and postintervention, and at three and six months of follow-up. Participants in the NW group will additionally participate in focus groups.Discussion This is the first study analysing the effect of NW in patients with asthma. NW combined with education and usual care is expected to improve exercise tolerance, but also asthma-related outcomes. If this hypothesis is confirmed, a new community-based therapeutic approach will be available for patients with asthma.

Keywords

• Adult; Asthma; Exercise; Hand Strength; Humans; Nordic Walking; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Walking; Article; asthma; clinical trial protocol; controlled study; disease control; dyspnea; exercise tolerance; experience; female; follow up; grip strength; health care planning; health education; health program; human; information processing; kinesiotherapy; lung function; male; nordic walking; outcome assessment; patient compliance; quality of life; randomized controlled trial; self care; sleep quality; Spain; therapy effect; adult; exercise; hand strength; nordic walking; quality of life; randomized controlled trial (topic); walking