Effect of modified Baduanjin exercise on nutritional status in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A randomized controlled trial

Background As a traditional Chinese fitness technique, Baduanjin is a low to medium intensity aerobic exercise that has a common regulatory effect on both body and mind, and is also an important means of disease prevention and treatment. However, the role of Baduanjin in improving patients' nutritional status and promoting tumor recovery remains to be confirmed. Objective This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of modified Baduanjin exercise on the nutritional status of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Setting(s): The participants were recruited from inpatients in the Radiotherapy Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in China. Participants: A total of 121 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were randomly divided into the control group and the Baduanjin group. Finally, 106 patients completed the study (53 cases each in the control group and the Baduanjin group) with the intervention time from the beginning to the end of tradiotherapy. Methods The control group received conventional care guidance, and the Baduanjin exercise group had regular improved Baduanjin exercise on conventional care basis, with the intervention time from the beginning of radiotherapy to the end of the treatment. PG-SGA was evaluated before, during (15 times), and at the end of radiotherapy as the main evaluation index to compare nutritional status between the two groups. Results From August 2022 to December 2022, 121 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer were randomly divided into control group and Baduanjin exercise group. During the intervention, 15 patients withdrew from the study, leading to 53 of 59 patients in the control group and 53 of 62 patients in the Baduanjin group. After the intervention, the PG-SGA score, radioactive oral mucosal response, oropharyngeal pain score, and anorexia scores were lower ( P < 0.05), whereas the levels of hemoglobin, albumin, prealbumin, and total protein were higher than those in the control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusions Modified Baduanjin exercise can improve the nutritional status of patients with NPC and deserves further clinical application. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry under the registration number ChiCTR2200064519,Registered on August 27, 2022. The public research topic is the construction and intervention research based on Internet + nasopharyngeal cancer.