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. 2022 Jun 11:15:793-802.
doi: 10.2147/JAA.S361135. eCollection 2022.

Patient Characteristics and Caregiver Asthma Knowledge of Children with Well-Controlled and Poorly Controlled Asthma

Gulnur Com  1 , Raid Amin  2 , Mohini Gunnett  3 , Callah Antonetti  4
Affiliations

Patient Characteristics and Caregiver Asthma Knowledge of Children with Well-Controlled and Poorly Controlled Asthma

Gulnur Com et al. J Asthma Allergy. .

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the socio-demographics and clinical characteristics of children in a pulmonology clinic or admitted to a children's hospital with well-controlled and poorly controlled asthma, and to assess caregiver knowledge of asthma pathogenesis, treatment, and self-management.

Patients and methods: A cohort of 132 children aged 2-18 years and their caregivers seen in a pediatric pulmonology clinic with a diagnosis of asthma (n=112) or admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of asthma exacerbation (n=20) were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. Caregivers completed a survey, which healthcare providers then used to tailor asthma education to the patient and caregiver. Two-tail t-tests and Chi-square tests were used to compare demographics and clinical characteristics of children with well-controlled vs poorly controlled asthma.

Results: Of 132 children, 111 children in this cohort had poorly controlled asthma (84%). Medicaid insurance was associated with poorly controlled asthma versus well-controlled asthma (63% vs 35% p=0.01). Asthma action plans (AAP) had previously been given to 113 caregivers (86%), but caregivers of children with both well-controlled and poorly controlled asthma still reported misconceptions about asthma pathology and management, such as stopping daily medications when asthma is controlled.

Conclusion: This study contributes to the existing evidence that socio-demographics have a significant impact on asthma prevalence and proper management. Our study suggests that caregivers of children with asthma need comprehensive asthma education beyond the AAP focusing on asthma-related misconceptions.

Keywords: asthma; asthma education.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors have no conflict of interest.

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