Young patients with cystic fibrosis: attitude toward physical activity and influence on physical fitness and spirometric values of a 2-week training course.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the attitude toward physical activity in young patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the influence of 2 weeks of training on physical fitness and spirometric values. Two groups of CF patients with mean ages of 11 and 15 years, respectively (total of 13 patients, range 9-21 years), participated in the study. Two healthy control groups with mean ages of 11 and 14 years, respectively, performed the same tests as the CF patients. The CF patients answered questionnaires regarding their attitude toward the activities both during the camp and at home and accomplished spirometric and exercise tests. The CF childrens' parents were interviewed concerning their children's attitude toward physical activity. The attitude toward physical activity of the CF children was very positive both during the camps and at home. The CF patients had at least as good a motivation for exercise as the healthy controls. The physical fitness of the CF patients was reduced, but improved during the training period. The spirometric tests were unchanged during the first course, but increased significantly during the other camp, even if lung physiotherapy was stopped during the training period. The study indicates that CF patients can be motivated for physical exercise, even for training for endurance and at a high enough level to replace lung physiotherapy, at least for shorter periods.