Physical Activity in Children With Inherited Cardiac Diseases : a Qualitative

Use lay language.

Current guidelines regarding physical activity in patients with inherited arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy are mostly dedicated to adult patients, with a special focus on sports competition. Their application to the pediatric population has been scarcely evaluated.

Physical activity is well known for its health benefits but may be dangerous in this population, which leads to confusion within the medical community and among patients. Actual physical activity of children with such inherited cardiac disorders is unknown.

This study aimed to assess the level of physical activity in children with inherited arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy, and the adherence to the current European guidelines on the subject. Secondary objectives aimed to assess through a qualitative analysis the impact of the disease on physical activity and daily life in this population.

The level of physical activity and adherence to current guidelines will be determined from interviews between the patient and the principal investigator. Each patient will be questioned in order to explore the experiences, motivations and feelings of participants regarding physical activity. The standardized questionnaire was created by the principal investigator and members of the clinical research team.

The investigators believe that many children practice physical activity outside the current guidelines and hope to identify the main determinants of physical activity in this population.