Study of Exercise Capacity and Physical Activity in Children with CHD.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the effectiveness of an individualised physical activity plan to increase exercise capacity and physical activity levels in children with congenital heart disease: A randomised control trial.
IRAS ID
322580
Contact name
Frank Casey
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide and occurs in every 8-10 per 1000 live births in Northern Ireland. The ability to take part in physical activity (PA) is an important aspect to an individual’s quality of life. The UK Chief Medical Officer currently recommends that children aged 5-18 years should aim to be active for at least 60 minutes per day, however in Northern Ireland, only 8% of children with CHD are meeting these guidelines. This may be attributed to parents not allowing their child to fully participate in PA due to worries about its impact on their child’s condition. However, no study to date has investigated the concerns faced by parents/guardians and teachers/coaches regarding PA in children with CHD. Therefore, we conducted interviews with parents/guardians and teachers/coaches to identify their concerns, who highlighted that an individualised physical activity plan would help alleviate these fears.
We have then developed a programme whereby the intervention group will receive an individualised PA plan to implement at home over a 12 week period with a 3 and 6 month follow up. This plan will also be sent out to teachers/coaches to inform them of what PA is both safe and beneficial for each child. The PA plan is adapted specifically for each child to increase their exercise capacity as this will increase their cardiorespiratory function and health related quality of life. It is also hoped that it will increase the PA levels and the percentage of those meeting current PA guidelines.
Therefore, the overall aim of this randomised control trial (RCT) is to assess the effectiveness of an individualised PA programme on exercise capacity and PA levels in children and adolescents with CHD. This will be assessed using both qualitative and quantitative methods.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
24/NI/0011
Date of REC Opinion
8 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion