A Dance and Yoga Intervention for Girls with Functional Abdominal Pain: Effects on Pain Frequency, Depressive Symptoms, Quality of Life, School Absenteeism, and Somatic Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are common in youth and are often associated with depressive symptoms, school absenteeism, somatic symptoms, and low quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a dance and yoga intervention on abdominal pain frequency and associated symptoms over 24 months. Methods: This study presents analyses from a randomized controlled trial including 121 girls aged 9–13 years who were diagnosed with FAPDs. The intervention consisted of twice-weekly group sessions over eight months, combining dance and yoga. The primary outcome, maximum abdominal pain at 8 months, was published in 2022. Abdominal pain, depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life, school absenteeism, and somatic symptoms were prespecified as secondary outcomes in this study’s protocol. In the present manuscript, abdominal pain is analyzed as abdominal pain frequency. These secondary outcomes were assessed at 4, 8, 12, and 24 months. Both intention-to-treat and supportive per-protocol analyses were performed. Results: The intention-to-treat analysis showed a reduction in abdominal pain frequency in the intervention group compared with controls, with a mean difference of −1.10 with respect to the 95% CI (days per week) (−2.03 to −0.16; p = 0.02) at 8 months and −1.34 (−2.28 to −0.40; p = 0.005) at 12 months. No significant group differences were observed in the other outcomes. Per-protocol analyses showed similar or greater positive effects of the intervention. Conclusion: An intervention with combined dance and yoga has the potential to contribute to reductions in abdominal pain frequency at 8 and 12 months post-baseline in girls with FAPDs.