Physical activity and exercise in children with chronic health conditions

In the last two or three decades, physical activity (PA) has gained increasing recognition as being essential for maintaining good health and improving quality of life for all ages. Children have traditionally been active in both free play and organized sports. However, there has been a recent decline in the PA levels among children for various reasons. This lifestyle change has resulted in increased obesity accompanied by a rise in diabetes and cardiovascular risk among otherwise healthy children. These lifestyle changes have been shown to be even more a problem when the child is already affected by a chronic disease. Due to medical limitations and contraindications, much care must be taken to make certain that these children are involved in the appropriate volume and intensity of exercise. The type of activity must also be given careful consideration to avoid undue risk for the child who may have problems such as poor balance, limited strength, poor vision, or cognitive disability. Further complications are either caused or exacerbated by lack of sufficient PA. The priority beyond concern for safety should be focused on ensuring the highest quality of life possible. The purpose of this review is to examine how PA can benefit children with selected chronic health conditions.