The effect of exercise on vaccination pain and adverse reactions in adolescents and young adults

Abstract

Introduction: Globally identified barriers against vaccination include perceptual barriers (pain/fear/anxiety) and associated side-effects. Interventions to reduce these negative experiences are needed, with WHO also highlighting the need for such interventions. Exercise holds potential benefits in improving vaccination processes through several mechanisms. Methods: A literature review of interventions to reduce vaccine-related pain/fear/distress in children and adolescents was conducted. This is followed by two studies examining the effects of acute exercise at the time of vaccination, on vaccine-related pain/fear/anxiety in adolescents (n=116;HPV), and vaccine-related pain in young adults (n=78;influenza). Furthermore, the effects of exercise on local/systemic adverse reactions following vaccination is reported. Results: Site-specific interventions (cooling&vibration) and combination of site-specific and patient-led interventions showed most consistent benefits. Vaccine-related pain in female adolescents decreased with exercise, with higher pain and anxeity reported in females than males, only in the Control group. Howeveer, the second study failed to replicate these findings. Exercise significantly decrease reported days of tenderness in female adolescents compared to Control females, with a similar trend in reported days of pain. Reduction in the number of reported days of feeling ill and reduced appetite was also observed, but not statistically significant. In young adults, exercise reduced reported days of swelling, fever and loss of appetite. Conclusion: This thesis, is the first to support the use of exercise to improve vaccine-related pain, especially in adolescent females, and to reduce frequently occurring adverse reactions that are reported following vaccination. These findings support the potential benefit of using exercise in populations that are especially vulnerable to high levels of adverse reactions, such as in females and the elderly.