3D artists to develop animations to encourage young asthma sufferers to exercise
Last updated 1/30/2012 9:27:52 AM
3D artists to develop animations to encourage young asthma sufferers to exercise
A collaborative study led by the University of Stirling is bringing together behavioural theorists, artists and 3D animators to create new ways of encouraging and motivating young asthma sufferers to exercise.
Researchers are working closely with 12-18 year-olds with asthma, and their parents, to produce an interactive educational tool based on 3D animation, with motivational and skill developing elements, to get the young people active.
The animations will enable teenagers and their parents to visualise the lungs and bronchi, the mechanism of asthma, identify the differences between asthma and breathlessness due to inactivity and the impact of inhalers. They will aim to address three barriers to engaging in activity identified by the research group in earlier research: beliefs about the safety of exercise, their ability to be active and low motivation. A child-specific activity plan will then be agreed between parents, health professionals and school staff.
An estimated one in five children in the UK is now affected by asthma. Physical activity is particularly important for them as it can lead to improvements in fitness, along with asthma-related benefits such as reduced hospital admissions, reduced absenteeism from school, fewer consultations with health professionals, reduced medication use and improved ability to cope more generally with the condition.
Studies show that young people with asthma can exercise safely if appropriately treated and can significantly improve their cardiovascular fitness and quality of life by doing so. However, young people with asthma are even less likely to be physically active than their peers and they attribute this to their asthma.