Treatment regimens and health care utilization in children with persistent asthma symptoms

Experiences, Functioning and Needs of Low-Income African American Mothers of Children With Asthma

The purpose of this proposed study was to explore experiences, needs and functioning of low-income, African American caregivers of children with asthma in order to better understand symptom management.

METHOD

A qualitative, descriptive design was used. A purposive sampling technique was used to screen 32 caregivers of children with asthma, and 15 caregivers agreed to participate.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified: managing the symptoms; cultural beliefs and values; and culturally competent health care provider.

CONCLUSION

For the caregivers culture disparity is not just about access to health services but instead the healthcare providers' understanding of the complexity of symptoms management.

Asthma knowledge, subjective assessment of severity and symptom perception in parents of children with asthma

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to confirm the tendency for parents to underestimate the severity of symptoms and the poor consistency between parents' reports of symptoms and the physicians' evaluation of asthma control. Additionally, the relationship between parents' asthma knowledge and their report of symptoms and estimation of asthma severity was explored.

METHODS

Fifty children (M = 10.5 years) and their caregivers were recruited from two Portuguese hospitals. A measure of asthma symptoms report (Severity of Chronic Asthma, SCA) and a subjective evaluation of asthma severity were collected and compared with physicians' ratings of asthma control, as well as parents' knowledge about asthma (Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire, AKQ) and emotional disturbance (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI).

RESULTS

Although parents' evaluation of perceived asthma severity was moderately correlated to symptoms reported, results confirm an inconsistency between parents' reports of symptoms, their subjective rating of asthma severity and the physician's rating of clinical control, revealing a tendency for parents to underestimate disease severity and to underreport asthma symptoms. Asthma knowledge was not significantly correlated to SCA or to parents' subjective evaluation of asthma severity. Parents with poorer knowledge reported fewer symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Portuguese parents revealed a tendency to overestimate their child's level of asthma control and a low level of asthma knowledge. Parents' education, psychological disturbance and time since diagnosis were associated with asthma knowledge. Parents' knowledge was not related to the child's asthma outcomes or to their subjective evaluation of asthma severity or symptoms reports. Parents' asthma knowledge deficits, underreporting of symptoms and underestimation of asthma severity, may affect parent-provider communication and impede asthma control.

Trends in preventive asthma medication use among children and adolescents, 1988-2008

OBJECTIVE

To examine trends in preventive asthma medication (PAM) use among children with current asthma in the United States from 1988 to 2008.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of PAM use among 2499 children aged 1 to 19 years with current asthma using nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 3 time periods: 1988-1994, 1999-2002, and 2005-2008. PAMs included inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, long-acting β-agonists, mast-cell stabilizers, and methylxanthines.

RESULTS

Among children with current asthma, there was an increase in the use of PAMs from 17.8% (SE: 3.3) in 1988-1994 to 34.9% (SE: 3.3) in 2005-2008 (P < .001 for trend). Adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and health insurance status, the odds of PAM use were higher in 2005-2008 compared with 1988-1994 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-4.5). A multivariate analysis, combining all 3 time periods, showed lower use of PAMs among non-Hispanic black (aOR = 0.5 [95% CI: 0.4-0.7]) and Mexican American (aOR = 0.6 [95% CI: 0.4-0.9]) children compared to non-Hispanic white children. PAM use was also lower in 12 to 19 year olds compared with 1 to 5 year olds and also in children who did not have health insurance compared with those who did.

CONCLUSIONS

Between 1988 and 2008, the use of PAM increased among children with current asthma. Non-Hispanic black and Mexican American children, adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, and uninsured children with current asthma had lower use of PAM.

Sub-optimal asthma control in teenagers in the midland region of Ireland

BACKGROUND

Internationally, many children with asthma are not attaining achievable asthma control.

AIMS

To examine the prevalence of asthma in teenagers in four midland counties, their asthma control and the barriers, if any, to gaining control of asthma.

METHODOLOGY

International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) methodology was used in a survey of Junior Cycle Year 2 second-level students.

RESULTS

The prevalence of "wheeze ever" was 49.8%, "wheeze in the last 12 months" was 32.6% and "asthma ever" was 23.5%. Of teenagers with current asthma, 96% had evidence of sub-optimal asthma control during the previous year. For the majority of the teenagers with asthma, treatment was not guideline concordant; infrequent lung function testing, insufficient review after acute care and poor use of written asthma action plans. Barriers included lack of awareness of need for treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

If asthma guidelines are implemented fully, these children may experience better health.

Don't ask, don't tell: parental nondisclosure of complementary and alternative medicine and over-the-counter medication use in children's asthma management

INTRODUCTION

Parent-health care provider (HCP) communication is an important component of pediatric asthma management. Given the high prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and over-the-counter (OTC) medication use among this population, it is important to examine parental nondisclosure of these asthma management strategies.

METHOD

One-time interview and 1-year retrospective medical record review with 228 parents of 5- to 12-year-old children with asthma enrolled from six pediatric primary care practices examining parental nondisclosure of CAM and OTC medication use, reasons for nondisclosure, medical record documentation of CAM usage, and association between parent-HCP relationship and nondisclosure.

RESULTS

Seventy-one percent of parents reported using CAM and/or OTC medication for children's asthma management, and 54% of those parents did not disclose usage. Seventy-five percent "did not think" to discuss it. Better parent-HCP relationship led to decreased nondisclosure.

DISCUSSION

HCPs can play an important role in creating an environment where parents feel comfortable sharing information about their children's asthma management strategies in order to arrive at a shared asthma management plan for the child, leading to improved asthma health outcomes.

Association between common asthma therapies and recurrent asthma exacerbations in children enrolled in a state Medicaid plan

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of budesonide inhalation suspension relative to other common asthma therapies in a high-risk population, a study was conducted to compare the risk of having a repeat asthma-related hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visit in a Medicaid population of children; the relationship between asthma medication adherence level and repeat asthma hospitalizations or ED visits was also evaluated.

METHODS

Children eight years of age or younger, with a hospitalization or ED visit for asthma between January 1999 and June 2001 (index event), were identified in a Florida Medicaid database. Claims data for each child were examined 12 months before and after the index event. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the risk of subsequent asthma exacerbation according to the asthma medication received during the first 30 days after the index event. Logistic regression was used to model the relationship between medication adherence as measured by the medication possession ratio (MPR) and the likelihood of a subsequent asthma exacerbation.

RESULTS

There were 10,976 children in the study. Patients who had a claim for budesonide inhalation suspension had a lower risk of a subsequent hospitalization or ED visit (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.76; p < 0.001) than patients who did not have budesonide inhalation suspension claims. Other controller medications were not associated with a reduction in the risk of subsequent asthma exacerbations. Adherence to medication was poor (a median MPR of 0.08 for budesonide inhalation suspension and a median MPR of 0.16 for any asthma controller medication). The odds of a repeat hospitalization or ED visit were significantly lower for children who were adherent to their asthma controller medication.

CONCLUSION

Children with asthma and insured by Medicaid were at a high risk of repeat exacerbations leading to increased hospitalizations and ED visits. Treatment with budesonide inhalation suspension in the first 30 days after a hospitalization or ED visit for asthma was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of repeat asthma-related hospitalizations or ED visits during the following year. Children who were adherent to their asthma controller medication had significantly lower odds of having a subsequent asthma exacerbation.

The impact of the parental illness representation on disease management in childhood asthma

BACKGROUND

Despite significant advances in treatment modalities, morbidity due to childhood asthma has continued to increase, particularly for poor and minority children.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the parental illness representation of asthma in juxtaposition to the professional model of asthma and to evaluate the impact of that illness representation on the adequacy of the child's medication regimen.

METHODS

Parents (n = 228) of children with asthma were interviewed regarding illness beliefs using a semistructured interview. The impact of background characteristics, parental beliefs, the child's symptom interpretation, and the parent-healthcare provider (HCP) relationship on the adequacy of the child's medication regimen were evaluated.

RESULTS

The parental and professional models of asthma differ markedly. Demographic risk factors (p = .005), low parental education (p < .0001), inaccurate symptom evaluation by the child (p = .02), and a poor parent-HCP relationship (p < .0001) had a negative effect on the parental illness representation. A parental illness representation concordant with the professional model of asthma (p = .05) and more formal asthma education (p = .02) had a direct positive effect on the medication regimen. Demographic risk factors (p = .006) and informal advice-seeking (p = .0003) had a negative impact on the regimen. The parental illness representation mediated the impact of demographic risk factors (p = .10), parental education (p =.07), and the parent-HCP relationship (p = .06) on the regimen.

DISCUSSION

Parents and HCPs may come to the clinical encounter with markedly different illness representations. Establishing a partnership with parents by eliciting and acknowledging parental beliefs is an important component of improving disease management.

Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with asthma: prevalence and sociodemographic profile of users

Research on complementary and alternative medicine use in children with asthma is in its infancy. This study examined the prevalence, types of CAM used and sociodemographic differences in CAM use among children 5-12 years with asthma. 65% of parents reported using CAM. Usage was highest among black, poor, lesser educated parents and children with persistent symptoms. Types of CAM differed by poverty and a trend for differences by race and education emerged. Health care providers who educate themselves on CAM therapies parents use for asthma can then discuss the implications of using these therapies and potentially improve adherence to the prescribed medication regimen.