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Parental asthma knowledge: its association with readmission of children to hospital
R L Henry1, D M Cooper, J A Halliday
1Discipline of Paediatrics, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Parental knowledge about childhood asthma was generally poor. While readmission rates were linked to asthma severity, higher parental knowledge was associated with children who had a previous asthma diagnosis and a smoke-free home.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Health Literacy
- Asthma Management
Background:
- Parental knowledge significantly impacts childhood asthma management and outcomes.
- Understanding asthma triggers and treatment adherence is crucial for preventing hospital readmissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental asthma knowledge and hospital readmission rates in children.
- To identify factors contributing to parental knowledge levels regarding childhood asthma.
Main Methods:
- A validated asthma knowledge questionnaire was administered to parents of children admitted to pediatric facilities.
- Data were collected from 349 children across three groups: readmitted asthmatics, first-time asthmatics, and first asthma attack admissions.
- Linear regression analysis was used to explore factors associated with parental knowledge scores.
Main Results:
- Mean parental knowledge scores were low across all groups, indicating a general deficit in asthma understanding.
- A significant difference in knowledge was observed between children readmitted with asthma and those experiencing their first attack (P < 0.001).
- Increased parental knowledge correlated with a prior asthma diagnosis in the child, higher parental occupation status, and a smoke-free home environment.
Conclusions:
- Parental knowledge regarding childhood asthma is inadequate, highlighting a need for improved educational interventions.
- Childhood asthma readmission rates appear more closely related to disease severity than parental knowledge alone.
- Targeted education for parents, particularly those with children experiencing severe or recurrent asthma, is warranted.
Objective:
To assess whether poor parental knowledge about asthma was a risk factor for readmission of their children to hospital.
Methodology:
Parents of children who were admitted to the paediatric facility at Newcastle Mater and John Hunter Hospitals were administered a previously validated asthma knowledge questionnaire with a maximum possible score of 31.
Results:
The mean parental knowledge scores for three groups of children were determined: those with a previous diagnosis of asthma being readmitted to hospital (170 children, mean score 18.3); those with a previous diagnosis of asthma being admitted for the first time (114 children, mean score 17.2); and children being admitted with their first attack of asthma (65 children, mean score 15.6). There was a significant difference in parental asthma knowledge between the first and third group (P < 0.001) but not between the first and second group. A linear regression model with knowledge score as an outcome found that increased knowledge was associated with previously diagnosed asthma, higher parental occupation and no smoker in the home.
Conclusions:
Knowledge was poor in all groups. Readmission rate was related to the severity of the child's asthma.