More than 7 million children in the United States have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reports of sedentary lifestyles are on the rise for American adults and children, along with those medical conditions associated with a lack of exercise, like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Asthma has been slowing down kids for thousands of years. Homer's "The Iliad," read by schoolchildren everywhere, first mentioned the condition.
History of Asthma
Asthma has affected people since ancient Egyptian times. The word "asthma" is derived from the Greek verb "aazein," or panting with your mouth open. Scholars and scientists approached asthma from many directions throughout the century, although physicians rarely mentioned this condition in medical transcripts in the 1800s. Scientists in the early 20th century mistakenly classified asthma as psychosomatic. Scientists pressurized inhalers to deliver life-saving medication to children and adults in the 1950s.
Natural History
You could chart the natural histories of exercise and asthma in children as they age. According to Mayo Medical School, asthma appears most often in infants as wheezing resulting from respiratory infections. Frequent and severe asthmatic episodes increase the likelihood that asthma will persist as the child grows. Incidence declines after infancy and most children enjoy partial or complete remission, returning to healthy exercise patterns as they age.
Exercise Statistics
Children exercise less as they age, especially as they enter adulthood, but exercise habits among even our youth are declining. According to respondents of the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the CDC, 33 percent of students said they attended physical education classes daily in an average week, down from an average of 41 percent in 1991.
Asthma Statistics
According to Florida State University, between 1982 and 1996, the number of asthma cases in children under the age of 18 rose from 2.5 million to 4.4 million -- correlating with the downward trend in daily exercise. The report also states asthma incidence rates rose higher for children than for adults during those years.
Significance
Asthma cannot be cured, but you can manage your child's symptoms enough to enable him to exercise. Modern technology allows children to carry small inhalers to use in case of an asthma attack -- especially helpful for exercise-induced asthma. The medicine and psychological reassurance of convenient relief should encourage children to increase the amount of daily exercise.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma Fast Stats
- "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology"; Mayo Medical School; September 2006
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Trends in the Prevalence of Physical Activity -- National YRBS: 1991-2009
- Florida State University: Program for Environmental Policy and Planning System -- Children, Pathologies and Direct Health Impact
