Exercise Training Study for Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

The self-regulated exercise with telephone reinforcement group will engage in a three-times-a-week (or more) at home exercise regimen for 6 months during which they may choose the mode of exercise. They will receive weekly telephone calls about exercise and airway clearance. After 6 months, they will be instructed to maintain their self-regulated exercise activity for the remaining 6 months of the study, but they will not receive telephone calls

The attention control group will receive standard recommendations for exercise activity, during the first 6 months, as is common in our clinic. Also during the first 6 months, they will receive weekly telephone calls about airway clearance. For the final 6 months of the study, the attention control group will cross over to self-regulated exercise without telephone reinforcement.

A qualitative naturalistic approach is nested within the primary experimental framework to explore the experiences of the children and parents, in both groups, with the exercise regimen.