Illness experience and related knowledge amongst children with asthma

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Child Health Education

Background:

• Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory condition in children.
• Effective asthma management relies on patient understanding and self-care behaviors.
• Limited knowledge about asthma can negatively impact disease control and quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the general and asthma-specific knowledge of children with asthma.
• To evaluate children's understanding of asthma causes, prognosis, allergens, and self-care.
• To compare the knowledge levels of asthmatic children with a healthy control group.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 49 children aged 7-16 years with asthma.
• Participants' knowledge regarding general bodily functions, asthma specifics, allergens, and self-care was assessed.
• A matched group of healthy children served as a control for comparison.

Main Results:

• Children with asthma demonstrated poorer general knowledge about the body compared to healthy controls.
• Knowledge regarding asthma's cause, prognosis, and allergen avoidance was significantly limited.
• Awareness of self-care strategies and triggers for asthma attacks was low, with no age-related improvement observed.

Conclusions:

• Asthmatic children possess inadequate knowledge about their condition and effective self-management strategies.
• There is a clear need for enhanced educational interventions to improve asthma awareness and self-care behaviors in children.
• Improving children's understanding of asthma is crucial for better disease control and overall well-being.