title: Comparison between exercise performance in asthmatic children and healthy controls--Physical Activity Questionnaire application.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The PAQ questionnaire (Physical Activity Questionnaire - Kowalski, Crocker, Donen) is a self-administered 7-day recall validated questionnaire that measures physical activity levels in young people. A final activity score is obtained (1 indicates low and 5 indicates high physical activity level). Our aim was to determine whether there was any difference between the level of physical activity of children with controlled allergic disease and healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the PAQ questionnaire with a group of asthmatic children attending hospital outpatient clinic and a group of healthy children matched for age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  155 children with allergic disease (median age of 11 years; 63% males) and 158 healthy controls (median age of 10 years; 46% males) answered the questionnaire. There were no differences in the overall level of physical activity, estimated by PAQ score, between allergic and healthy children (2,40±0,7 vs 2,48±0,62; p=0,32). Performance in physical education classes and after school sports activity was found to be different between the study groups; healthy children were more active (p=0,011) and did more sports between 6 and 10 pm (p=0,036). No other statistically significant differences were found between the study groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the fact that a majority of the parents of allergic children stated that their child's disease was a barrier to physical activity, in our study there seems to be no difference between the level of physical activity of controlled asthmatic children and their healthy peers.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Famalicão, Portugal. Electronic address: ritasantossilva@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santos-Silva
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Famalicão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Famalicão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Famalicão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Famalicão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Asma; Asthma; Exercise; Exercício; Physical activity questionnaire; Questionário de Atividade Física