EnablExercise in Crohns
Research type
Research Study
Full title
EnablExercise in Crohns: A qualitativE study to uNderstAnd the Barries and faciLitators to physical activity and Exercise IN children and adolescents with CHROHN's disease - perceptions of patients, caregivers and clinicians
IRAS ID
318836
Contact name
Zoe L Saynor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Portsmouth
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Background: Symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, blood in the stools and chronic diarrhoea may indicate a condition called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in which parts of the intestinal tract become inflamed. IBD is quite common, with one of the main forms being Crohns disease. Regular medications and visits to the doctor can help many young people feel better and resume many of their regular activities; however, there is currently no cure.
It is therefore important that people live an active life and limit their sedentary behaviour, both for their mental and physical health. Whilst we know some information around the activity of young people with a number of chronic health conditions, we know relatively little about the typical time that children and adolescents with Crohns disease spend being active, as well as the things that help or stop them from being active and taking part in exercise.
At present, there are no clear guidelines for young people with Crohns to say what kind of physical activity and exercise they should do. We also don’t know how much physical activity young people with Crohns are currently doing. We are currently doing a large study (The ACTIVE-IBD Study) to measure lots of things, such as how much physical activity young people with IBD are doing, their fitness, how well they are, what they eat and what their poo is like. However, for us to be able to give good advice around physical activity and exercise, we also need to understand what young people think helps or makes it more difficult for them to be active. We will also have conversations with parents and doctors to see what they think.
Research Aims: This research study aims to help us understand what helps and stops young people living with Crohns from being active and taking part in physical activity and exercise. We will talk to young people with Crohns, their parents and specialist doctors who look after young people with Crohns, to understand their general thoughts and feelings around physical activity and exercise participation.
Benefit for people living with Crohns: We know that people with IBD are very likely to be inactive, due to things like stomach pain, diarrhoea and feeling tired, but we need to know more about this topic. The findings from this study will help us understand why young people with Crohns may not undertake physical activity and exercise. This is important, as physical activity and exercise are good for both mental and physical health, particularly in people with a long-term condition. All this information, alongside our other current research study ‘The ACTIVE-IBD Study’, will help us to design appropriate physical activity and exercise resources and training to benefit young people living with Crohns and perhaps also other forms of IBD. Our longer -term aim is to improve the quality of life of people with Crohns through exercise as medicine.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/HRA/4060
Date of REC Opinion
1 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion