Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Senior Thesis

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Primary Major

Nursing

Thesis Advisor

Deborah Meshel, BSN, MSN

Abstract

Asthma is a respiratory disease that leads to narrowing of the airways in the lungs due to inflammation and mucus. Common symptoms include cough, wheezing, asthma attacks, excess mucus production, and decreased exercise tolerance. Pharmacological treatment methods for asthma include bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and allergy medications. Nonpharmaceutical treatments include monitoring of exposure to allergens and breathing exercises, however swimming is not as commonly suggested. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether implementation of a swimming education class will influence the effectiveness of swimming on asthma management in Asian Americans. This study aims to examine quality of life, changes in lung function, and severity of asthma symptoms and exacerbations. A quantitative quasi-experimental design will be used to determine whether a swimming education class for Asian Americans with asthma will result in improved lung function and decreased frequency of asthma exacerbations. The sample size involves 100 participants who will be recruited from pulmonologist offices and asthma clinics that predominantly serve the Asian American population. The class will include information about the benefits of swimming and statistical data about asthma in the Asian American population. There will be a pre-test and post-test utilizing the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), and lung function tests such as forced expiratory volume, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow levels. A t-test will be used to determine the p-value of the data collected from the pre-test and post-test lung function tests. It is hypothesized that results will show an increase in quality of life, improvements in lung function tests, and decreased severity of asthma related symptoms.

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