Physical activity levels in children with Bronchiectasis living in Counties Manukau, New Zealand.

Bronchiectasis guidelines encourage children to participate in regular physical activity (Chang et al., 2023), but there is limited understanding of current physical activity levels. This study investigated how physically active children with bronchiectasis living in Counties Manukau, are compared to their healthy peers, and how often they achieved daily recommendations of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary aims explored associations between MVPA and demographic or disease severity markers, and the mode of activity and time of day children with bronchiectasis engage in physical activity. A quantitative, cross sectional, observational study was undertaken. Thirty-one children aged 7-12 years participated in the study: Bronchiectasis group n=18; Control group n=13. Time spent in MVPA was measured over seven consecutive days using wrist-based ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometers. Mode of activity and time of day children engaged in physical activity were measured using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children. The Bronchiectasis group completed 31.6 (p=0.034) less minutes of MVPA per day than the Control group, with both groups demonstrating significantly higher (p=0.002) MVPA minutes on weekdays. Sixty-two percent of the Bronchiectasis group and 86% of the Control group achieved daily MVPA recommendations. Weak to moderate associations were found between MVPA minutes and body mass index and socioeconomic hardship. Both groups were most active at school, participating in informal school yard games. Children with bronchiectasis are less active than their peers and would benefit from routine physical activity assessments to proactivity identify and manage inactivity and its potential comorbidities.