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Study aim
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The overall goal of the present study is to compare the effect of 10 weeks of balance and aerobic exercises on the balance, cancer-related fatigue, and quality of life in children with leukemia.
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Design
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The study groups include the aerobic intervention group, the balance intervention group, and the control group. It has a control group, with factorial groups, non-blinded, randomized; the tests are conducted on-site/in the field on 27 patients.
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Settings and conduct
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The research is conducted at Bu-Ali Hospital in Sari, and the pre-tests include assessment of balance, fatigue (CFS-24h), and quality of life (PedsQL).
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Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
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Inclusion Criteria:
1. Children with leukemia between the ages of 5 and 15 years.
2. Children in the maintenance phase of treatment with more than 20 weeks elapsed since the start of the phase.
3. Height, weight, and BMI within the normal range.
4. Children must be capable of performing physical activity.
5. Must not have symptoms related to acute illness, for example, fever (< 38 degrees Celsius), severe anemia.
Exclusion Criteria:
Non-leukemic individuals are excluded from entry."
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Intervention groups
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Sample: 27 children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy were randomly divided into three groups (9 children in each group).
Balance Exercise Group: Static and dynamic exercises including two-leg standing, tandem stance, single-leg stance, and crossover walking; for 10 weeks, 2 sessions per week, with each session including a warm-up and cool-down.
Aerobic Exercise Group: Outdoor walking for 10 weeks, 2 sessions per week; exercise intensity will be controlled based on the Karvonen formula (50% to 75% HRR) and the Visual Analog Scale (RPE=11-13).
Control Group: No exercise intervention, maintaining usual lifestyle and receiving current medical care.
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Main outcome variables
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Aerobic fitness and balance improvement.