Can Parent-Child Yoga Help Kids with Heart Defects Improve Attention?

What you need to know

• Children with congenital heart disease are at higher risk for attention problems and ADHD.
• This study will test if a parent-child yoga program can help improve attention in young children with heart defects.
• The researchers want to see if it’s feasible to do a larger study on this yoga program in the future.

The challenge of attention problems in kids with heart defects

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting about 1 in 100 babies. Thanks to medical advances, most of these children now survive into adulthood. However, many face long-term challenges with learning, behavior, and movement.

One of the biggest issues for children with CHD is problems with attention. Studies have found that 40-65% of 5-year-olds with CHD have difficulties with tasks requiring focus and concentration. They are also 2.5 to 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to other children.

These attention problems can make it harder for kids with CHD to do well in school and in their daily lives. That’s why researchers want to find ways to help improve attention skills in these children, especially before they start school.

Testing yoga as a potential solution

Yoga is a practice that involves physical poses, breathing exercises, and mindfulness. Some studies have shown that yoga can help improve attention and reduce ADHD symptoms in children. It may also help reduce stress and anxiety in both kids and parents.

Given how common attention problems are in children with CHD, researchers think yoga could be a promising option to explore. However, no one has done a rigorous study yet to test if yoga can actually help attention in this specific group of kids.

The Yoga for Little Hearts study

Researchers in Canada are planning to do a full clinical trial to test if a parent-child yoga program can improve attention in young children with CHD. But before launching that larger study, they want to do a smaller “feasibility study” first.

This feasibility study will help them figure out important logistics, like:

• How many families they can recruit
• If families will stick with the full yoga program
• The best ways to measure attention improvements
• How to run the yoga classes consistently

The study will include 24 children with CHD, ages 4-6, and their parents. They’ll be randomly assigned to either:

1. Do an 8-week parent-child yoga program (16 families)
2. Continue their usual medical care without yoga (8 families)

The yoga program involves:

• Weekly 45-minute yoga classes for 8 weeks
• At-home exercises to practice 3 times a week
• Activities like physical poses, breathing exercises, and mindfulness

All of the children will have their attention skills and behavior assessed at the start of the study, right after the 8-week program ends, and again 6 months later.

Why this study matters

If this smaller feasibility study is successful, it will pave the way for a larger clinical trial. That trial could provide solid evidence on whether yoga can truly help improve attention in children with CHD.

This is important because attention problems can have a big impact on school performance, relationships, and quality of life. Currently, there are very few proven ways to help with attention issues in kids with CHD. If yoga is shown to be effective, it could provide families with an accessible, low-cost option to support their child’s development.

Conclusions

• This study is an important first step in rigorously testing yoga as an intervention for attention problems in children with CHD.
• If successful, it will lead to a larger clinical trial that could change care recommendations for these kids.
• Even if yoga doesn’t end up helping attention specifically, the program may have other benefits for children’s development and family well-being.