Upper Respiratory Infection
Conditions
Keywords
Health related quality of life, Functional Status
Brief summary
The main purpose of the study is to find out if probiotics (healthy bacteria found in yogurt) can improve the health-related quality of life (HRQL) during upper respiratory infections (like the common cold) in college students living in residence hall on-campus at Framingham State University (Framingham, MA) who are randomized to receive a probiotic or placebo candy daily for 12 weeks. HRQL is a subjective measure, defined as the aspects of quality of life (i.e., one's satisfaction with their life) that related specifically to a person's health (for example, ability to carry out normal daily activities). The investigators hypothesize that HRQL during URIs will be significantly higher in the probiotic groups compared to the placebo group. The proposed study will also seek to address the following secondary objectives: missed school and work days due to a upper respiratory infection.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTProbiotics
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTplacebo
Sponsors
Chr Hansen
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Student at Framingham State University (Framingham, MA) 2. Live in on-campus housing
Exclusion criteria
1. their driver's license or state identification card indicated that they were under 18 years of age or over 25 years of age; 2. they experienced chronic perennial allergies (such as, allergies to dust or 3) they were pregnant 4\) they had been diagnosed with medical conditions affecting immune function (for example, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus) 5) they had acute pancreatitis, were undergoing treatment for cancer; or, were taking immunosuppressive drugs for an autoimmune disease or post-transplant.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Health-related quality of life | 12 weeks | Subjects are asked to complete a questionnaire every day for 12 weeks that inquires about any common cold symptoms that they may be experiencing, severity of the symptoms, and how the symptoms interfere with their daily activities. Health-related quality of life is operationalized by total score on the questionnaire. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Missed work days | Once per week over the course of 12 weeks | Once per week, for 12 weeks, subjects are asked to complete a questionnaire that inquires about missed work days. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Missed school days | Once per week over the course of 12 weeks | Once per week, for 12 weeks, subjects are asked to complete a questionnaire that inquires about missed school days. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed