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Efficacy of a self-management program for childhood asthma--a prospective controlled study
N Gebert1, R Hümmelink, J Könning
1Department of Ped. Pneumology and Immunology, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
Asthma training programs improve children's self-management skills. Regular follow-up sessions significantly enhance the long-term effectiveness of these asthma management courses for children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Health Education
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Asthma management in children requires effective self-management skills and adherence to medical regimens.
- Parent and child asthma training programs aim to improve these crucial aspects of care.
- Evaluating the efficacy of different training program structures is essential for optimizing outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate two distinct asthma training programs for children aged 7-14.
- To compare the impact of a comprehensive program with follow-up versus a program without follow-up.
- To assess the effects on self-management, coping, anxiety, and physical parameters.
Main Methods:
- 81 asthmatic children (aged 7-14) were randomized into three groups: comprehensive training with follow-up, training without follow-up, and a control group.
- Training involved a five-day family-oriented clinical program.
- Monthly follow-up meetings were conducted for six months in the intervention group with follow-up.
- Data collected via questionnaires from patients, parents, and physicians at baseline and 12 months.
Main Results:
- The group receiving comprehensive training with regular follow-up showed the greatest improvement in active asthma self-management.
- The group receiving training without follow-up demonstrated some benefits in self-management.
- No significant differences were observed in physical parameters like lung function or school absenteeism across the groups after one year.
Conclusions:
- Family-oriented asthma training programs can enhance children's self-management skills.
- Regular follow-up sessions are critical for sustaining the long-term efficacy of asthma self-management education.
- While self-management skills improve, physical outcomes may require longer-term or different interventions.
Abstract:
Asthma training programs for parents and children have been developed to increase both the self-management skills of asthmatic children and compliance with medical regimes. In order to evaluate two training programs for asthmatic children aged 7-14, 81 patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 consisted of 27 patients and their parents who participated in a five-day standardized family-oriented clinical asthma training program. They had monthly follow-up meetings with the training team for a period of six months. Group 2 (n = 29) had the same clinical training without follow-up interventions; a control group (n = 25) received regular medical treatment according to the international guidelines at the asthma clinics without a training program and served as control group. Questionnaires regarding self-management aspects, coping and anxiety were filled out by patients, parents, family doctors and the training team prior to as well as twelve months after the training. The results indicate that Training group 1 benefitted most with respect to active asthma self-management, Training group 2 to some degree while the control group showed no significant effects. The differences after one year between the three groups regarding physical parameters such as lung-function and days missed in school did not reach the level of significance. Our results indicate that the long-term efficacy of self management courses for asthmatic children is enhanced by regular follow-up training sessions.