Health. Asthma and Physical Activity: Stop the Misconceptions!

(ETX Daily Up) – Physical activity does not correlate with asthma, but rather, it keeps it under control. On World Asthma Day on Tuesday, May 2, a new study aims to break down some of the barriers and preconceived ideas surrounding the chronic disease and fight the stigma of asthmatics.

Asthma can be counterproductive to the benefits of many sports, while limiting the practice of physical activity. Walking, biking, swimming, basketball or running can help people with asthma develop lung capacity and strengthen certain respiratory muscles, and can have a positive effect on the number of attacks and symptoms, exercise tolerance, nighttime wakefulness and even. Anxiety and depression disorders. Those who have not faced this chronic respiratory disease are not necessarily aware of the often received ideas, even clichés, that those involved suffer from on a daily basis.

Hyperactivity in asthma

On World Asthma Day, a poll conducted by Ifop for Sanofi in collaboration with the French Sports Foundation tries to clear up today. One of the goals is to combat stereotypes surrounding the connection between asthma and physical activity, including the simple fact that asthmatics can’t – and shouldn’t – play sports. A received idea is undermined by the first person who may surprise more than one person: almost two-thirds of asthmatics (65%) do at least one physical activity per week, compared to 61% of people without the disease. . However, the proportion of patients with severe asthma drops significantly to 53%.

Contrary to popular belief, people with asthma adhere to the same morals as the rest of the general population. More than one in two asthmatics (53%) have taken a walk at least once in the past twelve months (compared to 51% of non-asthmatics), showing it as their favorite form of physical activity. This was followed by cycling (52% vs 46%), swimming, swimming or water aerobics (50% vs 38%), weight training or physical culture (35% vs 21%), jogging or jogging (31% vs 23%), Exercise (30% vs. 19%), racquet sports (26% vs. 18%), dance (26% vs. 16%), or yoga, pilates, or stretching (25% vs. 14%). The only physical activity contraindicated in asthma, scuba diving, was practiced by only 3% of the group.

Impact on work and social life

Knowing the benefits that these physical activities can bring, people with asthma should not reduce efforts in this area, as we have seen, affecting their physical and mental health. This does not prevent them from feeling anxious or restricted about their illness. One in two people with asthma (46%) say it has a negative impact on physical activity, and more than a third (36%) on their daily activities. Nearly two-thirds of patients (64%) view these physical activities as necessary, not essential, and even believe they equate to pleasure and satisfaction (60%), compared to four in ten (42%). This is a challenge and a source of concern for 19%.

Asthma can be a hindrance to social and professional life. Four in ten surveyed patients (42%) say they have given up walking because of the weather, 39% have already stopped running after the bus or other means of transport, and a third (34%) have already taken the lift over the stairs. Skyrocketing numbers for severe asthmatics. But the disease, or more precisely its effects on the daily lives of patients, can be a source of ridicule. A quarter of those with asthma surveyed believed they suffered in the context of sports activities, a fifth (21%) were affected by teasing from a partner in the context of performing daily tasks, and even fewer (19%) in a work environment. It can even affect sex life, as 28% of male patients say the disease has had a negative impact on this area, compared to 16% of females.

“This study provides valuable information about the sports habits of people with asthma. It helps to understand the complexities of this disease. We are happy and proud to contribute to improving knowledge in this field. Although sports are increasingly associated with better health, especially for asthma patients, much more needs to be done,” said the Foundation to said Charlotte Ferrail, general representative of Sport Franchise.

World Asthma Day aims to raise awareness and inform as many people as possible about the chronic disease that affects more than 4 million people in France. According to Insermand more than 260 million people worldwide, According to the World Health Organization (WHO)..

*This study was conducted by Ifop for Sanofi via a self-administered online questionnaire from March 17 to 29, 2023, with a nationally representative sample of 5,009 people aged 15 years and older, of which 1,111 had or already had asthma (including 742 current asthmatics).

Relax