This project is complete.

Location

Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal

Category

Asthma, Respiratory

Summary

It has been shown that even though recent asthma treatment guidelines have emphasized targeting improved asthma control and quality of life, which has lead to a huge amount of resources being dedicated to achieve these goals, presently more than 50% of adult patients with asthma remain poorly controlled. As current treatment strategies seem to be failing, it is important to target simple, cost effective interventions that are applicable for most patients with asthma and will increase general control and decrease morbidity related to asthma. Although there is some evidence to suggest that exercise can improve asthma symptoms and asthma control in children, there are currently no studies that have systematically assessed the effects of exercise in adults.

The current study is designed to assess the efficacy of aerobic exercise as an intervention to improve asthma control and quality of life in adult patients with asthma, and explore the potential mechanisms behind the expected improvements. The study has four phases: 1) a screening phase where participant eligibility will be assessed; 2) an assessment phase where the outcomes measures will be measured; 3) a treatment phase where patients will participate in an aerobic exercise intervention or usual care comparison group; and 4) a follow-up phase where initial short-term control and exercise adherence will be assessed.