title: Functional and psychosocial effects of pulmonary Daoyin on patients with COPD in China: study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem worldwide. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an established intervention for the management of patients with COPD. Exercise training is an important part of PR, and its effectiveness in patients with COPD is well established. However, alternative methods of PR training such as Daoyin have not been appropriately studied. Hence, alternative forms of exercise training that require less exercise equipment and no specific training place should be evaluated. This paper describes the study protocol of a clinical trial that aims to determine if pulmonary Daoyin training will improve the exercise capacity and psychosocial function of patients with COPD in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial will be conducted. A total of 464 patients meeting the inclusion criteria will be enrolled into this study with 232 patients in each of the trial group and the control group. Based on patient education, patients in the trial group will receive pulmonary Daoyin and continue with their usual therapy for three months. In the control group, patients will continue with their usual therapy. The primary outcome measures are exercise capacity assessed by the six-minute walking distance test and lung function. Secondary outcomes include dyspnea and quality of life. Measurements will be taken at baseline (month 0) and after the study period (month 3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is hypothesized that pulmonary Daoyin will have beneficial effects in improving exercise capacity and psychosocial function of patients with stable COPD, and will provide an alternative form of exercise training that is accessible for the large number of people with COPD.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This trial has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. The identifier is NCT01482000.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Xue-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jian-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Su-yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ming-hang
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-long
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hai-feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-wan
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D012107:Research Design; D055815:Young Adult