A follow-up analysis: Effects of an aerobic exercise training intervention on self-reported physical activity, depressive symptoms and subjective sleep quality in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease

This study investigates the effects of an eight-week exergaming intervention on children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, it contrasts the outcomes of the initial intervention with a subset of participants’ sleep and movement diaries. The participants were administered follow-up questionnaires on sleep, physical activity, psychological well-being and depressive symptoms three years after completing the initial intervention.
The results indicate only few significant changes in the measured variables. Surprisingly, both the IBD and healthy control groups exhibited significantly higher scores for depressive symptoms and significantly lower scores for physical well-being scores at the follow-up assessment. A cautiously positive note can be made of the 50% increase in physical activity measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Task-minutes (MET), although the change does not reach statistical significance.
The study provides preliminary insights into how exergaming might be a helpful tool for children and adolescents with IBD. To support these results, more studies with a larger population and more frequent and objective measurement points are necessary.
Key words
Inflammatory bowel disease, pediatric health, exergaming intervention, long-term effects