Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is the most common respiratory disorder in children. Knowledge about asthma helps in achieving asthma control. Self-management of the disease includes adherence to medication, avoidance of trigger factors, and appropriate response to symptoms Education about asthma is essential to improve the health and reduce the negative impact on daily life.

Materials and Methods: In this study, 62 patients aged 14.04 ± 2.25 years, who had been followed up for at least 6 months at Dokuz Eylül University Pediatric Allergy and Immunology outpatient clinic, were included. A modified Asthma Self-Management Knowledge Questionnaire with 25 true or false questions was administered.

Results: The results of the study included the mean asthma control score of the patients to be 20.08 ± 4.50. Minimum and maximum score patients achieved on the questionnaire were 9 and 23 points, respectively. The effect of general asthma knowledge, asthma medication knowledge, and environmental factors knowledge on asthma control were found to be statistically significant. On the other hand, asthma exacerbation knowledge was not statistically significant. The findings of this study reveal that knowledge of environmental factors is the most influential factor on asthma control, whereas, the second most effective variable was the asthma medication knowledge.

Conclusion: Hence, asthma education programs must be tailored specifically to this age group, so that they can self-manage properly, avoid exposure to triggering factors appropriately, and hopefully live symptom free.