Effectiveness of a Telemedicine Exercise Program to Improve Lung Function in Young Adults After COVID-19: A Pilot Study

<b>Background</b>: COVID-19 can have adverse effects on individuals' lung functions for up to 6 months or more after the episode. As a result, people may be reluctant to exercise, and this can have further adverse effects on their lung capacity and fitness. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a telemedicine program designed to increase the exercise participation of young adults after COVID-19 and evaluate the changes in lung function after exercise training. <b>Methods</b>: The quasi-experimental pre-post study recruited sixty university students who had suffered from COVID-19 within the past 12 months. Four pulmonary outcomes were compared: forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and the ratio of FEV1 to FVC. The telemedicine exercise (TE) group (<i>n</i> = 36) received an intervention to carry out regular stepping exercise (up to 10,000 steps) via online video instruction and frequent WhatsApp reminder messages. The control group (<i>n</i> = 24) only received an initial WhatsApp message to carry out regular stepping exercise, with no further follow-up. <b>Results</b>: The FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC ratio revealed significant overall improvement both within groups and between groups (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with moderate effect sizes. PEFR showed a significant improvement within groups (<i>p</i> = 0.007) but not between groups (<i>p</i> = 0.533). The TE group recorded a significant increase in daily step count (from 7165 to 9733, <i>p</i> < 0.001) after 4 weeks of training. The control group showed a significant reduction in step count (from 6975 to 6442, <i>p</i> = 0.049). <b>Conclusions</b>: The results confirmed the beneficial effects of the telemedicine exercise program in contributing to increased exercise participation and improved lung functions.