Validity of the Asthma Control Test Questionnaire Among Smoking Asthmatics

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Clinical Trials
• Asthma Research

Background:

• Smoking asthmatics experience poorer treatment response and increased symptom burden.
• Existing asthma therapies are less effective in individuals who smoke.
• Asthma exacerbations are more frequent in asthmatic smokers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Asthma Control Test (ACT) as a tool for assessing asthma control specifically in adult smokers.
• To determine the statistical properties, validity, and responsiveness of the ACT in this population.
• To compare ACT performance in smokers to established asthma assessment standards.

Main Methods:

• 151 adult asthmatics who smoke were enrolled and followed for 6 weeks.
• The Asthma Control Test (ACT) was administered and its reliability and validity assessed.
• Physician global assessment (GS) served as the gold standard for comparison.

Main Results:

• The ACT demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81).
• ACT scores showed significant association with physician global assessment (P < .001).
• The ACT reliably differentiated between varying levels of asthma control in smoking asthmatics.

Conclusions:

• The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing asthma control in adult smokers.
• The ACT's performance in smoking asthmatics is comparable to that in non-smoking asthmatics.
• The ACT is a valuable tool for the management of asthma in the prevalent subgroup of smoking asthmatics.