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What do parents of asthmatic children know about asthma?: An Indian perspective
S Shivbalan1, S Balasubramanian, K Anandnathan
1Department of Pediatrics, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, 12-A, Nageswara Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, India. shivbalan1@rediffmail.com
Insights
Public understanding of asthma is poor, with many parents of asthmatic children holding misconceptions about its cause and treatment. Improving asthma education is crucial to address these knowledge gaps and reduce stigma.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Public Health
- Health Education
Background:
- Asthma poses a significant public health challenge globally.
- There is a notable lack of understanding regarding public perception of asthma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning asthma causation, treatment, and prognosis.
- To identify common misconceptions among parents of children with asthma.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted with parents of asthmatic children in Chennai, India.
- A pre-validated, semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather data on asthma understanding, triggers, and management.
Main Results:
- Only 39% of parents accepted an asthma diagnosis, with limited understanding of the condition.
- Misconceptions were prevalent, including beliefs that asthma is contagious (26%) or hereditary (35%).
- Many parents misidentified dietary items as triggers and misused medications like oral beta-agonists for coughs, with limited use of aerosol therapy.
Conclusions:
- Community awareness and understanding of asthma are significantly low.
- Targeted patient education programs are essential to enhance asthma knowledge, dispel myths, and reduce social stigma.
- Understanding community perceptions is the foundational step for effective asthma education initiatives.
Background:
Despite the magnitude of the asthma problem, very little is known about the public perception about asthma.
Methods:
This descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice about the causation, treatment and prognosis of asthma amongst the parents of children with asthma. Subjects were parents of asthmatic children attending two exclusive paediatric hospitals at Chennai, India. A semi-structured pre-validated questionnaire, which included their general understanding on asthma, its triggers and management, was administered.
Results:
One hundred parents of asthmatic children participated in this study. A diagnosis of asthma was accepted only by 39%, of which only three knew exactly what asthma means. Perception that asthma is contagious was observed by 26%, and 35% believed asthma to be a hereditary disease. Various dietary items were perceived as triggers. Most of the parents (62%) administered oral beta-agonist medication at home before proceeding to hospital, but majority were using them as cough medication. Only 13 were administering aerosol therapy at home. Nearly one-third of the parents opined that the disease might remit with advancing age.
Conclusions:
General awareness of asthma in the community is poor. Patient education programme should augment awareness, eliminate social stigma and misconcepts in the community regarding asthma. Knowledge about the prevailing perception in the community would be the first step in achieving this.
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