Exercise trial aimed at people with cystic fibrosis

Thanks to the Conquer CF scholarship program, PhD student Abbey Sawyer is leading the way in an exercise trial aimed at people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

People living with CF not only have reduced exercise capacity but also have; a high daily treatment burden involving medication; nutritional supplementation and; airway clearance. It is for this reason that it can be difficult to incorporate exercise into a person’s daily routine.

Phd candidate Abbey Sawyer is undertaking a trial into the effects of high-intensity interval training in people with CF. The trial is in collaboration with Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital’s Adult CF and Physiotherapy Unit.

What is HIIT?

HIIT is high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

What does the program involve?

The program comprises of 10 minutes of exercise completed three days per week for eight weeks with an aim of investigating the effectiveness of a cycling-based HIIT.

Who can take part?

The randomised controlled trial is assessing the exercise capacity in people with cystic fibrosis.

Abbey is recruiting people with CF aged 15 years or older, with any severity of CF-related lung disease. The supervised sessions are currently being run on the QE11 site, or at Osbourne Park Hospital.

What is the aim of the trial?

The aim of this trial is to:

• Determine the effects the program has on a person’s exercise capacity
• Assess the health-related effects the program has on a person’s quality of life
• Assess exercise self-efficacy
• Determine feelings of anxiety, depression and enjoyment
• Assess muscle oxidative capacity

The trial will also look at:

• The proportion of participants who develop post-exercise quadriceps femoris muscle soreness each week during the 8-week HIIT program as well as the severity of this symptom
• The participant tolerance of the 8-week supervised HIIT program
• The cardiorespiratory and symptom responses elicited during the HIIT sessions throughout the 8-week program
• The behaviour change techniques employed throughout the program

More information

For more details on the trail please contact Abbey via email at Abbey.Sawyer@health.wa.gov.au or phone 0423 274 808.