Abstract
BackgroundLung function is highly age-dependent as it decreases in varying degrees with age, even in healthy people. Decreased lung function results in less elastic lung tissue, reduced chest wall compliance, reduced area for gas exchange, and even a variety of chronic diseases. Traditional Chinese health exercise (TCHE) has three components: “breath regulation,” “body regulation,” and “heart regulation,” which play an important role in the improvement of lung function. However, which component has the most significant effect on lung functioning remains unclear. Therefore, depending on the modality of conditioning, TCHEs will be divided into three exercise intervention groups: breath regulation group, body regulation group, and heart regulation group, in order to explore the magnitude of the effect of the different modalities of conditioning on the improvement of lung function.MethodsThe prospective, parallel, single-blind, randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effects of different conditioning methods of TCHE on lung function in middle-aged and elderly people. The study subjects are healthy middle-aged and elderly adults, who will be randomly divided into the “breath regulation group,” “body regulation group,” “heart regulation group,” and “control group.” The control group will receive health education. Health education and exercise intervention in the three intervention groups will be provided for 6 months, 5 times a week, with each session lasting 60 min. The outcomes of interest include changes in the pulmonary function tests measured at baseline and 3 and 6 months after the beginning of the intervention. The primary outcome is the forced vital capacity (FVC), while the secondary outcomes include forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FVC/FEV1 ratio, vital capacity (VC), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV).DiscussionThis study will assess the effects of different conditioning methods of TCHE on lung function in middle-aged and elderly people. The final findings of this study will validate the effectiveness and safety of TCHE on lung function interventions in middle-aged and elderly people.Trial registrationChina Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100052687. Registered on November 3, 2021
Highlights
Lung function is highly age-dependent as it decreases in varying degrees with age, even in healthy people
This study will assess the effects of different conditioning methods of Traditional Chinese health exercise (TCHE) on lung function in middle-aged and elderly people
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common diseases presenting with decreased pulmonary function, and the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 estimated that approximately 174 million people suffer from COPD worldwide [5]
Summary
Lung function is highly age-dependent as it decreases in varying degrees with age, even in healthy people. Decreased lung function results in less elastic lung tissue, reduced chest wall compliance, reduced area for gas exchange, and even a variety of chronic diseases. Depending on the modality of conditioning, TCHEs will be divided into three exercise intervention groups: breath regulation group, body regulation group, and heart regulation group, in order to explore the magnitude of the effect of the different modalities of conditioning on the improvement of lung function. Decreased lung function results in the loss of lung tissue elasticity, reduced chest wall compliance, and reduced area for gas exchange [2]. Lung function decreases with age [3]. Research shows that early exercise intervention and care for healthy older people can effectively reduce the incidence of chronic diseases and reduce health care costs [9]. It is very important to intervene in the early pulmonary function of middle-aged and elderly subjects
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