Effects of fun games on respiratory function and compliance in children with pneumonia: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia poses a significant threat to children's health. Traditional respiratory rehabilitation often suffers from poor adherence due to children's limited cognitive abilities. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a fun game-based intervention on respiratory function, exercise capacity, and rehabilitation compliance in children with pneumonia. METHODS: A single-center, two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 170 children recovering from pneumonia and meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen and randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a control group. Ultimately, 154 participants (77 per group) completed the study. The control group received conventional respiratory training and health education. The intervention group participated in an 8-week fun game-based program, including respiratory training games (e.g., "Blow Out the Little Candle"), physical activity games (e.g., "Rhythmic Breathing Run"), along with interactive feedback mechanisms and personalized adjustments. Pulmonary function (FEV1/FVC ratio), exercise capacity (6-min walk distance, 6MWD), and rehabilitation compliance (Frankl and Houpt scale scores) were measured in both groups before and after the intervention. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in baseline characteristics or outcome measures between the two groups before the intervention (P > 0.05). After the 8-week intervention, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in pulmonary function (FEV1/FVC: 84.69 ± 2.34 vs. 74.43 ± 2.27, P < 0.001) and exercise capacity (6MWD: 593.63 ± 19.91 m vs. 556.35 ± 30.48 m, P < 0.001) compared to the control group. Regarding compliance, post-intervention Frankl scores (3.87 ± 0.34 vs. 3.10 ± 0.60) and Houpt scores (2.91 ± 0.86 vs. 3.19 ± 0.78) indicated significantly better cooperation willingness and treatment completion in the intervention group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The fun game-based intervention significantly improves pulmonary function and exercise capacity, while effectively enhancing compliance and completion rates in the rehabilitation of children with pneumonia. This approach is economical, feasible, and effective, offering a novel strategy for clinical nursing and rehabilitation practice in pediatric pneumonia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=269965.