Effects of aerobic training versus behavioral intervention to improve clinical control in patients with asthma: a RCT

Background<bold>:</bold> Aerobic training (AT) and the increase in physical activity in daily life (PADL) improve clinical control in individuals with asthma; however, the comparison of both interventions is poorly known. <bold>Aim:</bold> To compare the effects of AT versus behavioral intervention (BI) to increase PADL on clinical control of individuals with asthma. <bold>Methods:</bold> Adults with moderate to severe asthma who were clinically stable were randomly assigned to either an AT group or a BIPADL group. The interventions lasted eight weeks and were performed between two medical visits. AT was performed on a treadmill (2x/week; 45 min/session), while the BIPADL was performed face-to-face (1x/week; 90 min/session). Before and after interventions, the clinical asthma control (ACQ), quality of life (AQLQ), PADL (accelerometer), anxiety and depression symptoms (HADS), and peak VO2 (cardiopulmonary exercise test) were assessed. <bold>Results:</bold> Twenty-seven patients were included (AT=16 and BI=11), mostly females (87.5% and 100%, respectively). At baseline, no between-group differences were observed in all outcomes. After the intervention, both groups reached a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the ACQ and AQLQ (≥0.5 points); PADL (≥600 steps/day); HADS-A (<1.32 points) and HADS-D (<1.40 points). No significant between-group difference in most outcomes was observed (p>0.05). However, only the AT group reached an improvement of ≥1 mL/kg/min in VO2 peak, which has been associated with a reduced risk of mortality. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our results suggest that both interventions similarly improve clinical control, AQLQ, and anxiety and depression symptoms; however, only the AT improves peak VO2.