Exercise as medicine in chronic diseases during childhood and adolescence

Abstract Physical activity (PA) and exercise improve the overall quality of life, as well as prevent the onset of diseases in healthy children and adolescents, and is an aid to treat prevalent chronic diseases in childhood. PA and exercise are like medicine, while sedentary lifestyle and inactivity cause disease. In this article, the existing scientific evidence in this field is reviewed and recommendations for professionals involved in child health are updated. A good knowledge of how to prescribe exercise and PA in paediatrics in different diseases is necessary. Interventions to avoid inactivity of children and adolescents must be supported by the appropriate increase in the level of PA, through integration and training programs, which achieve both an overall improvement of the neuromuscular physical condition and also physical, cognitive, and psychosocial performance. The Health Promotion Committee of Spanish Paediatric Association proposes strategies that help to obtain this objective, aiming to improve the health of our patients through the practice of exercise and the increase in PA.