General recommendations for physical activity and sports participation in children and adolescents with cardiovascular disease
Abstract
The opportunity to exercise and play sports is extremely important for young people with cardiovascular disease, both in terms of physical development and in terms of psychosocial classification. Exercise or sport are the best prevention of unwanted obesity, increase self-confidence and facilitate social contact.
Physical activity must be understood in the broad context of the lifestyle that the child initially acquires mainly according to family patterns. Adequate physical activity allows children physiological development and also has a very important educational component.
Through movement and recreational sports, the child acquires character traits, such as courage, self-confidence and the ability to communicate between people. From this point of view, it is also clear that congenital heart defects should be corrected by surgery or interventional catheterization in time for the child to engage in normal sports activities as soon as possible.