瑜珈運動對氣喘學童健康體適能改善之成效

The Effect of Yoga Exercise Intervention on Health Related Physical Fitness in School-Age Asthmatic Children

本研究主要探討瑜珈運動介入對氣喘學童健康體適能之改善，採類實驗研究設計，立意取樣北縣某公立小學7至12歲學童31人（運動組16人；對照組15人）。運動組進行七週，每週3次，每次60分鐘瑜珈運動，每次課程含10分鐘暖身、呼吸運動，40分鐘瑜珈，10分鐘冷卻運動。體適能檢測：運動前、第七週（運動後）、第九週，30人完成課程及體適能檢測（運動組16人；對照組14人）。結果：兩組學童在瑜珈介入前體適能五項要素均低於常模50百分位數；兩組運動前體適能五項要素數值上沒有差異。氣喘學童有課餘運動習慣與肌力（γ = .403, p < .05）及肌耐力（γ = .513, p < .05）呈顯著正相關。運動組在運動介入後柔軟度及肌耐力與對照組呈顯著差異，經共變數分析控制兩組在健康基本資料呈現差異的項目，含年齡、病程、類固醇的使用三項後，兩組的柔軟度及肌耐力表現仍呈顯著差異。運動組運動後體適能表現比運動前呈數值增加，經GEE（generalized estimation equation）model分析，發現運動組身體質量指數、柔軟度、肌耐力與運動前呈顯著差異；再經兩週在家自我練習，身體質量指數、柔軟度、肌力、心肺適能四項與運動前仍呈顯著差異。

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of yoga exercise on the health-related physical fitness of school-age children with asthma. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design in which 31 voluntary children (exercise group 16; control group15) aged 7 to 12 years were purposively sampled from one public elementary school in Taipei County. The yoga exercise program was practiced by the exercise group three times per week for a consecutive 7 week period. Each 60-minute yoga session included 10 minutes of warm-up and breathing exercises, 40 minutes of yoga postures, and 10 minutes of cool down exercises. Fitness scores were assessed at pre-exercise (baseline) and at the seventh and ninth week after intervention completion. A total of 30 subjects (exercise group 16; control group 14) completed follow-up. Results included: 1. Compared with children in the general population, the study subjects (n=30) all fell below the 50th percentile in all five physical fitness items of interest. There was no significant difference in scores between the two groups at baseline (i.e., pre-exercise) for all five fitness items. 2. Research found a positive association between exercise habit after school and muscular strength and endurance among asthmatic children. 3. Compared to the control group, the exercise group showed favorable outcomes in terms of flexibility and muscular endurance. Such favorable outcomes remained evident even after adjusting for age, duration of disease and steroid use, values for which were unequally distributed between the two groups at baseline. 4. There was a tendency for all item-specific fitness scores to increase over time in the exercise group. The GEE analysis showed that yoga exercise indeed improved BMI, flexibility, and muscular endurance. After 2 weeks of self-practice at home, yoga exercise continued to improve BMI, flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiopulmonary fitness.