Active With Heart Disease

Background: In Norway each year 130-150 children are born with heart disease that requires lifelong medical follow-up. Children with heart defects have reduced motor skills and reduced physical capacity compared with healthy peers. Increased knowledge in the children themselves and the general public, along with psychosocial interventions improve the child's ability to cope with the consequences of their disease. Descriptions of the experiences that Norwegian children with heart disease and their parents have about participation in rehabilitation programs is limited. Geilomo children's hospital has 75 years experience in rehabilitation of children with chronic illness, and started in 2005 to welcome children with heart disease. At present there is no rehabilitation institutions in Norway that has a special group programs for children with heart disease. Geilomo want to establish such a group for children aged 6-7 years and 11-12 years. Main objective: The investigators will use of methods to learn more about the following: Study 1: The purpose is to generate knowledge about how children with heart disease and their relatives experience participation in a rehabilitation program at Geilomo children's hospital. Overarching question: How do children with heart disease and their guardians to participate in a rehabilitation program, and the impact of this on their daily life afterwards? Study 2: The purpose is to help a) to give the children an increased level of activity in the home environment. Question: Will children with heart disease increase their activity levels at home after a stay at Geilomo? 2b) for the children to improve their physical fitness. Question: Will children with heart disease have improved their physical condition three months after a stay at Geilomo? Work schedule: The project will have a duration of 3 years. The project will seek approval of the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in May 2012. Interview Guide, information sheet an