Participants’ sociodemographic characteristics (N = 38)_
| Characteristics | Intervention group (n = 19), n (%) | Control group (n = 19), n (%) | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 0.328 | ||
| Late adult | 10 (52.6) | 7 (36.8) | |
| Early elderly | 9 (47.4) | 12 (63.8) | |
| Gender | 0.631 | ||
| Male | 3 (15.8) | 2 (10.5) | |
| Female | 16 (84.2) | 17 (89.5) | |
| Occupation | 0.589 | ||
| Housewife | 8 (42.1) | 9 (47.4) | |
| Farmer | 10 (52.6) | 10 (52.6) | |
| Entrepreneur | 1 (5.3) | 0 | |
| Highest level of education | 0.671 | ||
| No school | 2 (10.5) | 1 (5.3) | |
| Elementary school | 5 (26.3) | 3 (15.8) | |
| Junior high school | 2 (10.5) | 4 (21.1) | |
| Senior high school | 10 (52.6) | 11 (57.9) | |
| Body mass index | 0.345 | ||
| Underweight | 1 (5.3) | 0 | |
| Normal | 7 (36.8) | 12 (63.2) | |
| Overweight | 7 (36.8) | 5 (26.3) | |
| Obese | 4 (21.1) | 2 (10.5) |
Effect of the combination of diaphragmatic breathing exercise with therapeutic walking exercise on PEFR (N = 38)_
| Variable | Intervention group (n = 19) | Control group (n = 19) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min-max | Mean ± SD | P-value* | Min-max | Mean ± SD | P-value* | |
| Pre test PEFR | 190–250 | 216.32 ± 17.71 | 0.0001 | 190–230 | 205.79 ± 12.16 | 0.0001 |
| Post test PEFR | 280–350 | 306.84 ± 19.45 | 210–250 | 232.63 ± 11.94 | ||