Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects nearly 25 million people in the United States, and around 4.6 million of them are children. At its core, asthma involves inflammation and narrowing of airways, leading to respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.
In some cases, exercise can trigger an asthmatic reaction, but regular exercise is important to maintaining a child’s physical fitness. In fact, exercise can be particularly important for children with asthma, since it can improve lung capacity and promote healthy blood flow to your muscles.
Consult with your child’s physician to understand what types of exercise are safe for them, and what precautions they should take. The solution could be medication that lessens symptoms as they occur, or even lower-impact exercises that put less stress on the respiratory system, such as swimming, walking or cycling. However, each child is unique, so it’s important to have a better understanding of their condition in order to determine the most appropriate solutions.
Understanding asthma triggers
While medication can help to control and prevent asthma symptoms, it’s also crucial to understand potential triggers that could exacerbate the condition. Gaining familiarity with a child’s asthma triggers is one of the first steps parents should take to help manage their asthma.
Common outdoor asthma triggers
Outdoor activities expose children to many potential asthma triggers. Being informed about these triggers can help you manage your child’s symptoms more effectively. Some of the most common include:
- Pollen from trees, grasses and weeds: Particularly for those with allergic asthma, pollen can be a significant trigger. Depending on geographic location and weather conditions, pollen counts vary by season.
- Air pollution and smog: Pollutants like car exhaust, factory emissions and other sources of smog can irritate the airways and trigger asthma symptoms. Air quality tends to be lower in urban areas.
- Weather changes: Rapid changes in weather, such as transitioning from a hot day to a cool evening, or the onset of a storm, can trigger asthma symptoms in children.
Staying alert for potential triggers can help you avoid or prepare for the possibility of an asthma flare-up.
Allergic asthma triggers
Allergic asthma is a type of asthma triggered by allergens. In these cases, it’s crucial to be able to identify seasonal allergies that may trigger an asthmatic response. Understanding how allergens will impact any outdoor play makes it easier to take preventive measures. Taking antihistamines and avoiding triggers can help kids manage allergy-related asthma symptoms.
Identifying personal triggers for a child
Asthma may have many different triggers that vary between people, so it can be tough to predict them. Because of the unpredictable nature of asthma, it’s important to take efforts to identify potential asthma attack triggers, and keep track of them. This can help to avoid triggers, or take proper precautions when complete avoidance isn’t possible.
- Keep a symptom diary: Keep track of times when asthma attacks have occurred, as well as where it happened and any other relevant details. This can help you recognize patterns that could be essential to identifying triggers.
- Seek allergy testing: To identify allergic reactions that trigger asthma attacks, it may be a good idea to discuss allergy testing with an allergist or asthma specialist.
Recognizing a child’s asthma triggers is crucial to understanding the condition. However, it is also important to keep an eye out for additional triggers in case others exist.
Preparing for outdoor activities
Before your child takes part in outdoor activities, it’s important to take some precautions. This includes a number of considerations, such as consulting with medical professionals, and understanding how to help them avoid or react to potential asthma triggers.
Consultation with healthcare provider
Begin by consulting with a pulmonologist or other healthcare provider to discover appropriate steps to take to keep your child active, yet safe. Discuss your child’s asthma management plan with their doctor. Be sure to make any adjustments to medication if needed to enable your child to engage in outdoor play.
Make an asthma action plan
Each individual with asthma should have a personalized asthma action plan. This offers a way to keep track of effective treatments, symptoms and emergency instructions. Print out an asthma action plan form, and have your child’s doctor help fill it out.
Select appropriate activities
Always be sure to encourage and select activities based on the severity of your child’s asthma. For example, in cases of high severity, choose activities of light-to-moderate intensity. Children with less severe asthma can engage in more intense activities, while taking proper precautions.
Choose the right time and location
The time of day and weather can also contribute to the risks of an asthma attack. For example, depending on the region and season, pollen counts may peak at different times of day. The child’s specific triggers may also impact your plans, causing you to opt for times with milder temperatures or lower levels of environmental triggers.
Check the local weather and air quality forecasts. These can include information on pollen counts, temperature, humidity and pollution levels. All of these weather factors can have an impact on asthma.
Warm up and cool down
When exercising, be sure to begin with warm-up exercises that help ease into the stress of intense play. This should include gentle stretches and deep breathing exercises to help prepare the airways. Following activities, be sure to cool down in a similar fashion.
Bring essential asthma management tools
Always carry medication and equipment that helps manage your child’s asthma. This includes a rescue inhaler and mobile peak flow meter. If they take medications, ensure they take them consistently as prescribed. These tools can help your child avoid any issues while they participate in regular outdoor exercise and play.
Be prepared for emergencies
Teach your child to recognize signs of worsening symptoms. They should check for asthma symptoms like:
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Chest or stomach pain
- Coughing
- Disrupted sleep due to asthma symptoms
Explain to your child the importance of emergency preparedness, while making it clear that making preparations doesn’t mean you think something bad will happen.
What to do if an asthma attack occurs during play
In the event of an asthma attack during play, the most important thing is to stay calm. Asthma is a condition that can be worsened by stress, so being adequately prepared can help to reduce stress. When your child begins to feel symptoms, they should take a break from play. If quick-relief medicine fails to address symptoms, it could be time to seek medical assistance.
Proper preparation beforehand can also help to reduce stress in the event of an asthma attack, since your child will be ready to respond to symptoms more easily. Practicing mindfulness, staying equipped with an inhaler and being aware of symptoms as they crop up are all important things for a child to know before going out to play. During play, this preparation will be important in the event of an asthma flare-up.
When to seek medical care: urgent care vs. emergency room
The severity of an asthma attack will make a big difference in the measures that you should take. It’s crucial for parents to recognize when a child’s asthma attack requires medical attention such as urgent care or emergency room treatment.
Urgent care scenarios for asthma flare-ups
When an asthma attack causes mild to moderate symptoms that could be managed with prompt medical attention, but don’t appear life-threatening, this is a good indicator to call a healthcare provider, or head to urgent care. Symptoms that may warrant a trip to urgent care include:
- Dizziness
- Persistent cough
- Wheezing with inhale/exhale
- Wheezing that intensifies after medicine should have taken affect
Be sure to confirm that an urgent care center is equipped to manage asthma symptoms, and that they are currently open.
Emergency room situations for asthma attacks
Asthma attacks range in severity, and in some cases could lead to life-threatening situations. Severe symptoms that require immediate medical intervention and assessment include:
- Lips or nails turning blue
- Taking 30 or more breaths per minute
- Difficulty talking or walking at a normal pace
- Nostrils flaring with each breath
Cases like these indicate that immediate medical attention is vital, and patients should go directly to the emergency room rather than urgent care.
Communicating with caregivers and peers
If your child will be spending time away, it’s important that you inform potential caregivers or adult supervisors about their condition. This includes parents of friends, teachers, coaches or youth leaders.
Explaining triggers, symptoms and appropriate responses
It’s essential to anticipate other adults not being as familiar with asthma and its effects. When preparing your child for an outdoor activity, be sure to consider potential triggers in the area so you can prepare supervisors for potential flare-ups. Discuss what a typical asthma attack looks like, and how to appropriately respond to it. Provide clear instructions in writing, with your phone number, a backup number, and contact information for your child’s primary care physician or other healthcare specialist.
Communicating with coaches, having an action plan ready
If your child is on a sports team, ensure that coaches are aware of your child’s condition, and know how to appropriately respond. However, as important as it is to ensure that adult supervisors know about your child’s asthma, it is just as important for your child to be communicative with their playmates and teammates. Other children should know to look out for signs of an asthma attack, so they can seek help if needed.
Teaching children how to express their needs and feelings
Make sure your children understand how to express their medical needs when it comes to their asthma. Ensure that they know to inform an adult when they notice warning signs of a flare-up or attack.
It’s important to remember that asthma is a condition that can inspire many emotions in a child. It may cause them to feel frustrated, confused, sad, scared or even angry. Remind your child that these feelings are valid. Offer reassurance when these strong reactions emerge and encourage them to express their feelings. Praise them when they express feelings in other situations, and let them know they can do the same when it comes to asthma.
Managing asthma-related anxiety in children
Asthma can be a source of anxiety in children as well as their parents. A stressful situation like a sudden attack could be scary and fear of another episode can lead to more anxiety. Managing this anxiety is important for a child’s mental well-being, but also because anxiety itself can aggravate asthma symptoms. Being proactive can help to reduce anxiety in children, and there are some measures that parents and guardians can take to help address their child’s concerns.
- Education: Teach your child about asthma in age-appropriate terms, helping them understand what’s happening in their body. Familiarity with the condition can help to demystify it and hopefully reduce fear.
- Practice breathing exercises: Teach your child calming breathing exercises. These techniques can help them remain calm during an asthma attack and can also be used to manage general anxiety.
- Regular medical checkups: Keep regular appointments with your child’s pediatrician or asthma specialist to help reassure them that their condition is being monitored and managed. This can provide you with opportunities for celebrating achievements and milestones in asthma management.
- Talk about feelings: Encourage your child to express their feelings and concerns. This can provide opportunities to offer support and validate their feelings without amplifying their fears.
- Stay prepared: Always be sure to have your child’s rescue inhaler and any other medications on hand. Knowing that they have the tools to address an asthma attack can help provide peace of mind.
Remember that each child is unique, and how they react to asthma and anxiety will differ. Ultimately, it’s important to tailor these anxiety management strategies based on a child’s individual needs.
Further reading and resources for parents of children with asthma
The following pages offer more information and resources for parents of children who have asthma:
- CDC – Asthma – Parents: This CDC page provides resources for parents of children with asthma. The resources include a downloadable PDF guide, as well as links to additional information and organizations that support people with asthma.
- Resources About Asthma | U.S. EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency offers information and resources for parents and caregivers, including advice on creating an asthma action plan, links to community resources and online courses.
- For Parents of Children with Asthma | American Lung Association: This page provides parents with information, learning modules and other downloadable resources for developing asthma action plans and more.
- Asthma Program Resources | Nationwide Children’s Hospital: This page offers a downloadable booklet for parents developed by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as additional links and information regarding asthma.
- Resources for Parents of Young Children | Asthma Initiative of Michigan: The resources provided by this page focus on parents of young children. While some of the resources are Michigan-centered, many of the resources are useful to a broader range of parents.
- Asthma in Children Resources | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: This page offers educational resources as well as videos that provide reference for the proper use of things like inhalers.