AI CHI IMETHOD TO ASTHMATICS CHILDREN - A RANDOMIZED CONTROL CLINICAL TRIAL
Asthma; children; respiratory exercises; Hydrotherapy, Sleep, Quality of life, Anxiety, Spirometry.
Introduction: the asthma is a cronic respiratory disease more frenquente in children. The aquatic environment has gained increasing support as a therapeutic resource within pediatric respiratory rehabilitation. Such a resource is based on the benefits of the physical and physiological effects of hydrostatic pressure and temperature under the child's chest. Several techniques have been created with the proposal to improve the clinical condition of asthmatic patients, associating respiratory control, muscle relaxation and benefits from the aquatic environment, among them the Ai Chi method. Objective: assessmen the effect to Ai chi method on lung fuction, clinical control, quality of life, anxiety and sleep disorders of asthmatic children. Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial, simple-blind, evaluating children from 6 to 12 years of age with clinical diagnosis of mild, moderate and severe asthma. The project was initially submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Federal[Ry1] University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) obtaining a favorable opinion (CAAE: 67253617.4.0000.5537), according to Resolution 466/12 of the National[Ry2] Health Council. Participation in this study will be voluntary by means of orientation on the experiment, signing of the informed consent form by the parents and / or guardians, as well as signing of the agreement by the children involved. Study participants will be randomized into 2 groups: Intervention Group and Control Group. The intervention group will perform the Ai Chi method 2 times a week (40 minutes) for 6 weeks (12 sessions). The control group will be submitted to educational interventions on asthma control and treatment, through group activities, during 3 weeks, with 1 weekly meeting of 60 minutes. Evaluations will occur at 3 times for both groups: at baseline at the end of 12 training sessions (endpoint) and again after 1 month of follow-up. Evaluation: anthropometric dates, pulmonary function, clinical asthma control (c-Asthma Control Test-c-ACT), quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire-PAQLQ), anxiety (Spencer Scale of Infant Anxiety-SCAS), and sleep disorders (Sleep Disorders in Children Scale-EDSC). Information about numbers of hospitalizations, school absences due to exacerbation of the disease, symptoms of asthma and medication use during the treatment period will be collected through a registry diary delivered to the parents at the beginning of the study protocol. Data will be analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software, with a significance level of 5%. The normality of the data will be verified by the Kolmogorov-smirnov test and then the corresponding statistical tests will be applied to carry out the proposed comparisons and correlations. Expected results:This study aims to evaluate if the Ai Chi method can contribute as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of asthmatic children. The study proposes to observe the effects of this aquatic therapy on lung function, clinical control, quality of life, anxiety and sleep disorders in this population.