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Published on: November 4, 2010
Lay-led and peer support interventions for adolescents with asthma
Kayleigh M Kew1,2, Robin Carr3, Iain Crossingham4
1British Medical Journal Technology Assessment Group (BMJ-TAG), BMJ Knowledge Centre, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, UK, WC1H 9JR.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|April 20, 2017
Summary
Peer and lay support interventions show limited benefits for adolescent asthma management, with unproven effects on exacerbations and adherence. More research is needed to determine their effectiveness and identify target populations for these asthma programs.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Respiratory Medicine
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Adolescents with asthma face challenges with treatment adherence, often exacerbated by smoking.
- Peer or lay-led support may offer additional benefits beyond routine care for self-management.
- This review investigates the impact of such interventions on adolescent asthma outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of lay-led and peer support interventions for adolescents diagnosed with asthma.
- To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials on these specific interventions.
Main Methods:
- Searched multiple databases including the Cochrane Airways Trials Register up to November 2016.
- Included parallel randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of lay-led or peer support for adolescents with asthma.
- Assessed risk of bias and extracted data on quality of life, exacerbations, and adherence.
Main Results:
- Five studies with 1146 participants were included, showing significant heterogeneity in design and intervention content.
- Low confidence in findings due to risk of bias, inconsistency, and imprecision.
- No significant differences in asthma-related quality of life, exacerbations, or adherence were found, though some sensitivity analyses suggested a small quality of life benefit.
Conclusions:
- Weak evidence suggests a potential small improvement in asthma-related quality of life for adolescents.
- Benefits for asthma control, exacerbations, and medication adherence remain unproven.
- Insufficient evidence exists to recommend routine use of these programs; further research is warranted.
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