Exercise programs benefit a wide range of long-term health conditions, according to health data analysis

A new study analyzing health data from the past 20 years has highlighted the benefits of exercise programs for people living with long-term health conditions.

Based on an overview of the published evidence covering 39 different long-term conditions, and including 990 randomized controlled trials and more than 900,000 patients, the research highlights the fundamental role of exercise in improving the well-being of people living with long-term health. conditions

Carried out by researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the University of Leicester, the University of Birmingham, the University of Exeter, the University of Salford, the University of York and Trinity College Dublin, the latest study publish to Clinical medicine.

Chronic diseases are one of the major challenges facing international health systems, with almost half of the world’s population suffering from at least one long-term illness.

Defined as conditions for which there is currently no known cure, long-term health conditions are instead managed through a combination of drugs and non-drug treatments, including exercise programs.

Although medication can relieve symptoms, exercise programs have been shown to have an impact on people’s physical and mental health, with positive effects on cardiovascular and respiratory health, as well as the state of mood and general well-being.

In this study, researchers found that participation in exercise programs leads to consistent improvements in exercise capacity as well as improved quality of life across a broad spectrum of 25 long-term conditions. However, there were some areas of uncertainty, including the impact of exercise programs on mortality and hospitalization rates for people with long-term conditions.

The researchers argue that the study results point to the need for health care services to adopt approaches that consider the importance of exercise-targeted interventions for people who have one or more long-term health conditions.

Dr Grace Dibben, lead researcher on the study from the MRC/CSO Public Health and Social Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow, said: “Almost half of the world’s population lives with at least one long-term condition, resulting in a substantial health and socioeconomic burden.

“Our findings underscore the urgent need for health care systems to integrate exercise interventions into the management of long-term conditions, to better address the diverse needs of people living with a wider range of conditions in long term”.

The study is part of the PERFORM program (Personalized Exercise-Rehabilitation For people with Multiple long term conditions (multimorbidity)), which aims to jointly develop (with patients, carers, doctors and service commissioners) a tailored program personalized exercises rehabilitation based on people with multimorbidity.

The University of Leicester is coordinating this multi-centre trial and Sally Singh, Professor of Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation, is the co-principal investigator with Professor Rod Taylor of the University of Glasgow.

The researchers recently completed the feasibility study, and the results will inform the main randomized trial that will begin recruiting in September 2024 at 20 sites. Multiple long-term conditions are a major priority area for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).