A new study shows that a brief educational video can help young children successfully complete a breathing test called spirometry. The test measures lung function and is often used to diagnose asthma and other conditions. But it can be hard for preschoolers to follow the instructions.
Researchers in Greece studied 132 children aged 3 to 6 who had never done spirometry before. Half of the children watched a short video that explained and demonstrated the test. The other half received standard verbal instructions from a technician.
The results were clear: 84.6% of children who watched the video completed the test successfully, compared to 65.7% of those who got verbal instructions. The video group also finished the test faster, taking about 12 minutes on average versus 16 minutes. The number of attempts needed was similar between groups.
This was a randomized controlled trial, which is a strong study design. However, it was a single study with 132 children, and it took place in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may affect how well the results apply to other settings. No safety concerns were reported.
For parents and doctors, this suggests that a simple video could make lung testing easier for young children. More research is needed to see if this works in other places and with different groups of children.