Kids 2 Be & Breathe: A Study on the Use of Yoga and Mindfulness in Children With Severe Asthma (K2B2)
Kids 2 Be & Breathe: A Study on the Use of Yoga and Mindfulness in Children With Severe Asthma (K2B2)
This proposed pilot study will examine the tolerability, feasibility, acceptability, and
 preliminary effects of a gentle yoga intervention "Kids 2 Be & Breathe" (K2B2; a manualized
 30 minute gentle yoga and mindfulness session held one-on-one) in urban children aged 7-11
 with severe asthma.
Pre-Intervention Assessment: permission/assent from the child and consent of the
 parent/guardian will be obtained and initial data and measurements will be collected to
 ensure continued eligibility; baseline measures will be assessed.

 Intervention: participants will engage in a one-time manualized, age appropriate, 1:1,
 30-minute intervention involving gentle yoga and mindfulness techniques in a private room in
 the Pediatric Research Unit at the Children's Hospital of Richmond. The intervention will be
 taught by certified and experienced child yoga instructors who have been trained in the study
 protocol by the applicant. These yoga instructors collaborated with the interdisciplinary
 research team in the development of manualized age-appropriate yoga sequences.
 Parents/guardians will be invited to observe the yoga session. Intervention fidelity will be
 maintained through the use of a manualized intervention and the PI observing all sessions for
 manual consistency. The intervention will cease if the participant suffers from any asthma
 symptoms during the intervention, such as wheezing, coughing, retractions, accessory muscle
 use, chest tightness or shortness of breath, or experiences any other adverse events which
 precludes the his or her ability to actively participate in the intervention.

 Post-Intervention Assessment: upon completion of the intervention, brief semi-structured
 interviews will be conducted with the child and parent/guardian separately in order to
 explore the acceptability of the intervention and the PI will again assess the child for any
 asthma symptoms or adverse events. Post-intervention pulmonary function test and vital sign
 measurements will then be collected.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  on medium to high doses of steroids and/or leukotriene inhibitors

 -  a Child-Asthma Control Test Score <21

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  inability to speak English (child); inability to read/write English (parent/guardian)

 -  child hospitalized in past two weeks for their asthma

 -  current illness associated with oral temperature >100.4

 -  pulse ox <95% and/or any wheezing, retractions or accessory muscle use