The effect of the Buteyko breathing technique on asthma control and quality of life in children with asthma aged 7-12 years: a randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Buteyko breathing technique in improving asthma control and quality of life in children aged 7-12 years. Given the increasing demand for alternative asthma treatments, this study aims to address the gap in evidence regarding the Buteyko breathing technique, thereby advancing clinical management of pediatric asthma.

METHOD

This study employed a randomized controlled design to evaluate the effectiveness of the Buteyko breathing technique in children with asthma. The study cohort consisted of 65 pediatric patients with asthma, who were receiving treatment at the Paediatric Allergy and Immunology Polyclinic. Thirty-three participants were assigned to the experimental group in which Buteyko breathing technique was applied in addition to standard asthma treatment and 32 participants were assigned to the control group in which standard asthma treatment was applied. The primary endpoints of this study were the patients' asthma control level and quality of life scores.

RESULTS

Patients in the experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in asthma control and quality of life with the Buteyko breathing technique ( < 0.05). A large effect size was observed for asthma control ( = 3.54) and quality of life ( = 12.08). The post-test asthma control scores of the experimental group were statistically significantly higher than the control group ( < 0.05;  = 3.65).

CONCLUSION

Children often have difficulty in asthma management due to difficulties in inhaler use. In this study, the Buteyko breathing technique was found to be effective in improving asthma control and quality of life in paediatric patients.