Swimming training for asthma in children and adolescents aged 18 years and under

Asthma is the most common chronic medical condition in children and it is important to identify safe and beneficial forms of physical activity for young people with asthma. Swimming in particular is an exercise that has been traditionally lauded as ‘healthy’ for asthmatics, and was recommended as such despite the lack of an explicit evidence base. There are differing viewpoints on the benefits of swimming in asthma, with several observational studies suggesting that it improves physical fitness,1–3 whereas others have raised concerns regarding the safety of chlorinated pools.4,5 A Cochrane systematic review6 has appraised the existing evidence from randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness and safety of swimming training in children and adolescents with asthma, aged 18 years and under.