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What is asthma control? Discrepancies between parents' perceptions and official definitions
Ann Dozier1, C Andrew Aligne, Mary Beth Schlabach
1Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14642, USA. ann_dozier@urmc.rochester.edu
The Journal of School Health
|August 22, 2006
Summary
Parents often perceive their child's asthma as controlled despite frequent symptoms and missed school. This highlights a critical communication gap regarding asthma control between families and healthcare providers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Public Health
- Health Communication
Background:
- National asthma guidelines emphasize symptom prevention over exacerbation treatment.
- A discrepancy may exist between parental and healthcare professional perceptions of adequate asthma control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure community-level asthma control among children in Rochester, NY.
- To identify the gap between parental perception of asthma control and actual symptom-related morbidity.
- To investigate the association between reported symptoms and parental assessment of asthma control.
Main Methods:
- Telephone survey of 352 parents in the Rochester City School District.
- Data analysis using chi-square, relative risk, and reliability statistics (kappa).
- Examination of associations between reported asthma symptoms and parental perception of asthma control.
Main Results:
- 90% of parents reported good or complete asthma control, yet over 50% of children experienced symptoms, missed school, or required unscheduled visits.
- Over 40% of parents reporting good control noted their child still used a rescue inhaler, experienced symptoms, and missed school.
- A significant discrepancy (42%) was found between reported symptoms and perceived control, with inconsistent reports indicating higher risk for poor control.
Conclusions:
- Parents perceive their children's asthma as well-controlled despite substantial symptom-related morbidity.
- A significant communication gap exists between healthcare providers and families regarding the definition and attainment of adequate asthma control.
- Community interventions should focus on public awareness of symptom-free living and improving physician-family communication about asthma control goals.
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