Parent-administered Pediatric Tuina Versus Routine Care for Pediatric Functional Dyspepsia

Parent-administered Pediatric Tuina With Routine Care Versus Routine Care Alone for Pediatric Functional Dyspepsia: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Title: Parent-administered pediatric tuina with routine care versus routine care alone for pediatric functional dyspepsia: a pilot randomized controlled trial Background: Pediatric functional dyspepsia (PFD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder in children, characterized by chronic or recurrent upper abdominal discomfort without identifiable organic causes. Despite education, dietary, and pharmacological interventions, treatment outcomes remain suboptimal. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) pediatric tuina, a specialized massage therapy specifically for children, has shown promise as a complementary approach, including when administered by parents at home; however, evidence regarding its feasibility and effectiveness is still limited.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of parent-administered pediatric tuina (PPT) for children with PFD.

Hypothesis: Children receiving PPT will experience greater improvements in PFD symptoms, eating behavior, sleep quality, and quality of life compared to those receiving routine care (RC) over an 8-week period.

Design and subjects: This is a pilot randomized controlled trial involving 50 parent-child dyads (children aged 3-7 years with PFD) recruited from the community. Participants will be randomized into a PPT group or an RC group at 1:1 ratio.

Interventions: Parents in the PPT group will attend two 2-hour training sessions delivered by a registered TCM practitioner to learn the principles and techniques of pediatric tuina. They will administer pediatric tuina sessions (30 minutes every two days) at home for 8 weeks, tailored to their child's specific TCM diagnosis. The RC group will continue their usual care without additional interventions during the study period.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome measure is the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome IV (QPGS-RIV) to assess PFD symptoms. Secondary measures include eating behavior (Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire), sleep quality (Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children), quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), and parental stress (Parenting Stress Index-Short Form). Outcome assessment will be conducted at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Acceptability, feasibility, satisfaction, adherence, and safety of the intervention will also be assessed.

Data analysis: A linear mixed-effects model will be employed to analyze group-by-time interactions for all outcomes. Adherence and acceptability will be described qualitatively and quantitatively. Statistical significance is set at p < .05. Thematic analysis will be conducted for qualitative data.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inclusion criteria for the children are the following:

  1. age 3-7 years, which represents the optimal period for both pediatric tuina effectiveness and TCM syndrome differentiation for PFD intervention.
  2. documented PFD diagnosis based on ROME IV criteria.

• Inclusion criteria for the parents are the following:

  1. ability to communicate in Cantonese or Mandarin.
  2. willingness to learn and practice intervention techniques
  3. availability to attend training sessions at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
  4. signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria for the children are the following:

  1. current receipt of tuina or massage treatments.
  2. concurrent acute infectious diseases (scarlet fever, chickenpox), hemorrhagic diseases, skin conditions (burns, severe skin lesions, infections), or severe conditions contraindicated for pediatric tuina (fractures, paraplegia).

• Exclusion criteria for the parents are the following:

  1. severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depression) or physical conditions hindering intervention delivery.
  2. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score <22 points.