Effectiveness of the application of a complex of adaptive sports tools in the rehabilitation of young school-age children with bronchial asthma

Purpose. To substantiate, develop and experimentally verify the effectiveness of a comprehensive adaptive sports rehabilitation program for primary school-aged children with bronchial asthma. Materials and methods. The study involved 30 children aged 6–10 years with mild and moderate bronchial asthma in remission, who were divided into an experimental and a control group. The rehabilitation program lasted 12 weeks and included adaptive sports elements, dosed walking, breathing exercises, active games, aerobic and coordination exercises, swimming, and relaxation techniques. Children in the control group received conventional physical rehabilitation. The effectiveness of the program was assessed using indicators of external respiratory function (vital capacity, FEV₁), respiratory rate, heart rate, the 6-minute walk test, frequency of asthma attacks, and quality of life. Results. After completion of the program, children in the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared with baseline and with the control group (p<0.05). Vital capacity increased from 1800±75 to 2100±80 ml, while FEV₁improved from 72.5±2.5% to 81.3±2.2%. Respiratory rate decreased by 13.6%, heart rate by 8.7%, and the 6-minute walk distance increased by 16.7%. The frequency of asthma attacks decreased by 43.8%, and quality-of-life scores improved by 24.1%. In the control group, positive changes were less pronounced and did not reach the same level of effectiveness. Conclusions. The proposed comprehensive rehabilitation program based on adaptive sports tools significantly improves respiratory function, exercise tolerance, cardiorespiratory efficiency, and quality of life while reducing the frequency of asthma attacks in primary school-aged children. The findings support the inclusion of adaptive sports in comprehensive rehabilitation programs for children with bronchial asthma as an effective non-pharmacological intervention.