ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Gender differences in habitual activity in children with cystic fibrosis

H C Selvadurai¹, C J Blimkie², P J Cooper¹, C M Mellis³, P P Van Asperen³

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Sydney, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children), Westmead, Sydney 2145, New South Wales, Australia
² Children’s Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine, The University of Sydney, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children), Westmead, Sydney 2145, New South Wales, Australia
³ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Sydney, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children), Westmead, Sydney 2145, New South Wales, Australia

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr H C Selvadurai
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G IX8; Hiran.Selvadurai{at}sickkids.ca

Aims: (1) To compare habitual activity levels in prepubescent and pubescent boys and girls with different degrees of CF lung disease severity and healthy controls. (2) To assess the relation between habitual activity levels and measures of fitness, lung function, nutrition, pancreatic status, and quality of life.

Methods and Results: A total of 148 children (75 girls and 73 boys) with CF and matched controls were studied. Regardless of disease severity, there were no differences in habitual activity between prepubescent boys and girls with CF. Pubescent boys with CF were significantly more active than girls with the same degree of disease severity. There were no significant differences in habitual activity between prepubescent children with CF and controls. Pubescent children with mild CF were significantly more active than controls, but those with moderate to severe disease were less active than controls. The best correlates with habitual activity levels were anaerobic power, aerobic capacity, and quality of life. In children with moderate to severe disease, nutrition status correlated significantly with activity levels. The impact of pancreatic status on activity levels and other measures of fitness was most apparent in pubescent girls.

Conclusion: Gender differences in habitual activity were evident only after the onset of puberty. The impact of pancreatic insufficiency on measures of fitness and habitual activity was greatest in pubescent females. The reason for this gender difference may be an interplay of genetic, hormonal, and societal factors and is the focus of a longitudinal study.

Abbreviations: BMP, body mass percentile; CF, cystic fibrosis; FEV, forced expiratory volume; MJ, megajoules; PI, pancreatic insufficient; PS, pancreatic sufficient

Keywords: nutrition; pancreatic sufficiency; measures of fitness

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