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Medication adherence in pediatric asthma: reasoning, responsibility, and behavior
Elizabeth L McQuaid1, Sheryl J Kopel, Robert B Klein
1Child Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA. emcquaid@lifespan.org
Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|June 17, 2003
Summary
Child adherence to asthma medication is low at 48%. Older children, despite greater knowledge and responsibility, show poorer adherence. This highlights a gap in pediatric asthma management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Asthma management in children requires consistent adherence to preventive medication.
- Understanding factors influencing adherence is crucial for improving health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate child adherence to preventive asthma medications.
- To explore the relationship between children's asthma knowledge, reasoning, and management responsibility with adherence.
- To determine if adherence correlates with asthma morbidity.
Main Methods:
- 106 children with asthma and their parents participated.
- Medication adherence was tracked electronically for one month.
- Self-report measures and child interviews assessed knowledge and reasoning.
Main Results:
- Children adhered to approximately 48% of prescribed asthma medication doses.
- Adherence was lower in older children, minority groups, and those with higher morbidity.
- Increased age correlated with better asthma knowledge and perceived responsibility, but not adherence.
Conclusions:
- Older children's increased asthma knowledge and responsibility did not translate to better medication adherence.
- No significant association was found between adherence and child's knowledge, reasoning, or management responsibility.
- Current approaches may not effectively link understanding to action in pediatric asthma management.