The Effects of Music Therapy as a Complementary Intervention in the Treatment of Pediatric Asthma

The onset of asthma is particularly frightening for children. When the symptoms of asthma decrease, children and parents forget about the maintenance and control of breath and lung volume. Because adherence is so poor, asthma is known as the emergency room illness. The playing of a wind instrument is a unique way to provide a creative means for children and teens to understand both the impact of diaphramatic breathing and their ability to control it as well. This study builds upon the evidence, though sparse, that suggest that the blowing of a wind instrument with clinical music therapy intervention strengthens the muscles of breathing and fortifies the incentive toward attending to the daily symptoms and general management of asthma.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Asthma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: One time music therapy; Other: Group music therapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10003
      • Beth Israel Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 7 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• between the ages of 7 and 18
• diagnosed with asthma

Exclusion Criteria:

• over 18

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
Active Comparator: One time music therapy session; One time music therapy session which consists of music meditation, including as assessment/evaluation of confined body breathing function as expressed through drawing and coloring post music imagery session. This is followed by an entrainment wind playing/breath expansion music therapy intervention. At the end of the session, the subjects are given a donated wind instrument for play at home.	Other: One time music therapy
Active Comparator: Weekly group music therapy intervention; The weekly group music therapy intervention consists of children and teens using guided visualization and expressing their fears and or fantasies related to breathing with one another. This is followed by creative music improvisations with part-playing on flutes, slide whistles, recorders and melodicas.	Other: Group music therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quality of Life	The Juniper Questionnaire is a stringent quality of life measure that provides interview for children and teens and their parents. It is one of the few scales that requires these interviews to occur separately, so that children and parents do not feel compelled to answer what they think the other desires to hear. We also used take home journals and a comprehensive medical assessment to learn of ER visits, missed school days, avoidance of medication, and allergens in the home, as well as socio-economic status - these factors are known in the literature to effect outcomes and exacerbations with this population.	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Increase volume capacity	Spirometry enabled us to analyze the possible effects of wind playing on the child's breathing	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beth Israel Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joanne Loewy, DA, Beth Israel Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 24, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): July 28, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 28, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2014
• Last Verified: July 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Lung Diseases; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Bronchial Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity; Asthma
• Other Study ID Numbers: 142-04