The Deconditioning Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Unaffected Healthy Children
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating direct consequences on the health of affected patients. It has also had a significant impact on the ability of unaffected children to be physically active. We evaluated the effect of deconditioning from social distancing and school shutdowns implemented duri...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Pediatric cardiology 2021-03, Vol.42 (3), p.554-559 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating direct consequences on the health of affected patients. It has also had a significant impact on the ability of unaffected children to be physically active. We evaluated the effect of deconditioning from social distancing and school shutdowns implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic on the cardiovascular fitness of healthy unaffected children. This is a single-center, retrospective case–control study performed in an urban tertiary referral center. A cohort of 10 healthy children that underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing after COVID-19 hospital restrictions were lifted was compared to a matched cohort before COVID-19-related shutdowns on school and after-school activities. Comparisons of oxygen uptake (VO
2
) max and VO
2
at anaerobic threshold between the pre- and post-COVID-19 cohorts were done. The VO
2
max in the post-COVID cohort was significantly lower than in the pre-COVID cohort (39.1 vs. 44.7,
p
= 0.031). Only one out of ten patients had a higher VO
2
max when compared to their matched pre-COVID control and was also the only patient with a documented history of participation in varsity-type athletics. The percentile of predicted VO
2
was significantly lower in the post-COVID cohort (95% vs. 105%,
p
= 0.042). This study for the first time documented a significant measurable decline in physical fitness of healthy children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions. Measures need to be identified that encourage and facilitate regular exercise in children in a way that are not solely dependent on school and organized after-school activities. |
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ISSN: | 0172-0643 1432-1971 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00246-020-02513-w |