The Association between Vigorous Physical Activity and Stress in Adolescents with Asthma

Asthma is a very common condition that affects 5–10% of the global population, and its prevalence is increasing. Vigorous physical activity (PA) is effective in improving cardiorespiratory fitness and managing stress. This study aimed to investigate the association between vigorous PA and stress among Korean adolescents with asthma using large-scale survey data. The questionnaire data of 57,303 adolescents were analyzed using raw data from the 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. We performed logistic regression analysis to calculate the stress odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for asthma and non-asthma groups using models 1 and 2. We also performed logistic regression analysis to calculate the stress OR for the asthma group with vigorous PA and non-vigorous PA using models 1, 2, and 3. Model 1 was adjusted for age, sex, obesity, smoking, and alcohol status; model 2 was further adjusted for household income, academic achievement, and comorbidities. Model 3 was further adjusted for moderate activity and resistance exercise. The OR of stress was 20% higher in the asthma group than in the non-asthma group ( p < 0.05). In the fully adjusted models, the OR for the non-asthma group with vigorous PA versus non-vigorous PA was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84–0.94). However, the OR for the asthma group with vigorous PA versus non-vigorous PA was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.57–0.86), indicating that adolescents who engage in vigorous PA had lower stress in the asthma group ( p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that adolescents with asthma had higher stress levels than those without asthma; however, vigorous PA was associated with lower stress. These effects were more pronounced in adolescents with asthma.