The Safety and Feasibility of Exercise Training for Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Evaluation of Fitness, Function and Perceptions Toward Physical Activity

Abstract

As of 2012, 233,000 Canadians were reported to be living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 2.5% of which were <18 years of age. In Ontario, the incidence of pediatric IBD is ~11.8 per 100,000 population, which is one of the highest rates in the world. Youth with IBD experience numerous health problems secondary to their diagnosis, including poor fitness and lower lean mass. The extent to which youth with IBD can respond to an exercise training program designed to improve fitness remains unknown. The aim of this thesis was to assess the safety, feasibility and physiological efficacy of an exercise training program for youth in remission from IBD. Additionally, we attempted to understand the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in this population. A total of 104 patients were approached to participate in this study, 18 demonstrated interest and 11 consented to participate. Ten youth (nine males, age: 15.4±1.2 years) with IBD completed the study. Participants trained three times per week (2d in lab, 1d at home) for 16 weeks. Training sessions lasted 30 to 60 minutes, and consisted of a customized combination of aerobic and resistance exercises. Fat mass and lean mass were measured via Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Isometric and isokinetic torque of elbow flexion and knee extension were evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer system. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and peak mechanical power (Wpeak) were determined using the McMaster All-Out Continuous cycling test. Barriers and facilitators to physical activity were measured via qualitative interviews pre-training. Body composition, muscle strength and aerobic fitness variables were measured at baseline, after 8 weeks, and after 16 weeks of training. Participants completed 89.1±5.2% of lab training sessions and 55.0±26.5% of home training sessions. There were significant increases in whole body lean mass (p<0.001), isokinetic knee extension strength (p<0.05) and Wpeak (p<0.001) over the course of the training program with small, moderate and large effect sizes respectively. All participants were in remission post-training, demonstrated small deviations in features of disease activity and reported no adverse events with training. Participants described similar barriers and facilitators to physical activity, to those of the general public, such as lack of access to facilities and peer support, respectively. Additionally barriers and facilitators unique to individuals with this condition were identified including the physical burden of disease (e.g., episodic abdominal pain) and creating modifications to activities to facilitate accessibility. Our results demonstrate that exercise training in youth in remission from IBD is safe, feasible and has the capacity to counteract a broad range of secondary symptoms such as deficits in lean mass, muscle weakness and aerobic deconditioning. Youth with IBD should be encouraged to exercise on a regular basis. Results from this study will inform the design of a larger, randomized controlled trial.