title: A World Allergy Organization international survey on physical activity as a treatment option for asthma and allergies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical exercise has been shown to improve asthma symptoms, QoL, exercise capacity, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and lung function and is recommended as a supplementary treatment to pharmacotherapy for asthma. Clinicians are well placed to promote physically active lifestyles, but their role and practice towards promoting physically active lifestyles among patients has not been fully investigated. This study was designed to investigate the knowledge, propensity, attitude and practices of clinicians towards the promotion of physical activity among patients with asthma and allergies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eighty clinicians (mean age; 46 ± 13 years; with a clinical experience of practice for 15 ± 7 years) participated in a global survey. The survey comprised a 29-item questionnaire, which gathered information on attitudes of the clinicians towards promoting physical activity, their knowledge and their beliefs regarding evidence for benefits of physical activity as a supplementary treatment in patients with asthma and allergies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost all respondents were aware of the strong evidence in favor of physical activity for the psychological well-being, weight control, decreased risk of diabetes, ischemic heart disease and arterial hypertension. Evidence for reduction in the risk for developing asthma and for better asthma control were reported by 60.0% and 85.4% of participants, respectively. The majority (85.0%) of clinicians strongly agreed that promoting physical activity is important to health care, although 95.5% considered they required more educational training. Although two thirds of them usually recommended exercise to their asthmatic/allergic patients, only 24.0% reported having previous training on the subject of such counseling. Almost all believed that effective counseling about a healthy diet, exercise and weight management would be easier if the clinician himself/herself was physically fit and healthy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this global survey indicate that clinicians working in the field of allergy and respiratory diseases are well aware of the evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity for asthma and allergic diseases although they need more training in such counseling. Therefore, concerted efforts are needed towards educating clinicians towards promoting physical activity and weight management, as a supplementary treatment for asthma and allergies.
authors.affiliation: Hospital of São João and Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy ; Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National research Council, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonini
authors.affiliation: Div of Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pawankar
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Sandra D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kai-Håkon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Carlsen
authors.affiliation: Center for Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Waterbury, CT USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Randolph
authors.affiliation: National Jewish Hospital and Research Center, Denver, Colorado USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Silvers
authors.affiliation: The William Storms Allergy Clinic, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Storms
authors.affiliation: CompleWare Corporation, North Liberty, Kragujevac, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Weiler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National research Council, Rome, Italy ; Department of Internal Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonini
keywords: Allergy; Asthma; Physical activity; Survey
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