Randomized Controlled Trial of Acute Respiratory Infection Prevention Program among Children with Tonsil Enlargement

Children with frequent acute respiratory infections are likely to have tonsil enlargement, adversely affecting health and development. This randomized controlled trial study was conducted to determine the effects of acute respiratory infection prevention programs on self-care agency and specific health outcomes measured by frequent respiratory infections and tonsil enlargement among children aged 10-12 years old with tonsil enlargement. Sixty-two children were randomly selected from three schools within 50 districts of the Bangkok Metropolis and then randomly assigned to either experiment (n = 31) or control group (n = 31). The experimental group received the acute respiratory infection prevention program and routine care, whereas the control group received only routine care. The instruments used to collect the data were the demographic information interview, the self-care agency interview for children with tonsil enlargement, the number of respiratory infections in the last three months data interview, and the tonsil grading system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, parametric and nonparametric statistics with related samples and two independent sample t-test. Results revealed that the experimental group had significantly higher self-care agency, fewer respiratory infections during the last three months, and significantly smaller tonsil enlargement than the control group. Moreover, the experimental group had significantly higher self-care agency, fewer respiratory infections during the previous three months, and significantly smaller tonsil enlargement than before receiving the interventions. The findings suggested that this program helps improve self-care agency and specific health outcomes in children with tonsil enlargement. The findings of this study provide evidence for promoting the school nurses and teachers and for further research to validate the results before implementing the practice.