Health-related fitness and trainability in children with cystic fibrosis

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a supervised exercise training program performed during an in patient rehabilitation course on various attributes of health‐related fitness, e.g., flexibility, balance and coordination. 286 patients with CF, age range 6–18 years (11.8 ± 3.4 years), mean forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1 82.7 ± 22.3% predicted) were included. Patients performed the modified Munich fitness test (mMFT) to assess flexibility, balance, strength and coordination. To assess aerobic capacity a 6‐min walk‐test (6MWT) was performed. In addition, some of the patients performed an incremental exercise test on a bicycle ergometer using the Godfrey protocol before and after the exercise training program. The supervised training program consisted of 4–6 weeks of different sports activities 5 times per week. After training, pulmonary function showed a significant (P