Educating children about asthma improves asthma symptoms
October 05, 2009: Asthma is a debilitating disease which affects the lungs. Children are commonly affected by this disorder and are often noted to suffer from severe cases of breathlessness. Increasing the awareness about a disease can both prevent its occurrence and also reduce its severity. Awareness created in terms of the methods of disease progression and the triggering factors have been noted to reduce the severity of a number of disorders.
This concept was tested in children suffering from asthma. Researcher Watson and colleagues conducted their study on 398 children suffering from
asthma in London. The children who suffered from repeated attacks of asthma which required them to take medicines or visit a hospital were divided into two groups. One group received regular care while the other group participated in an interactive education program about asthma. After a year of the study, Watson and colleagues noted a reduction in the amount of drug consumption and the frequency of asthma attacks in the group that was educated about asthma. Significant improvement in the quality of life, lesser absenteeism in schools and reduction in the number of working days missed by the parents was also noted.
Thereby the study proposes that educating individuals about the asthma can effectively reduce the severity of the disease and improve the quality of life in individuals suffering from asthma. Efforts made at knowing the causative factors, exacerbating factors and modes of treatment can help both children and their parents to manage disorders such as asthma in a more efficient way and reduce the number of complications associated with such disorders.
Source: Watson WT, Gillespie C, Thomas N, et al. Small-group, interactive education and the effect on asthma control by children and their families. CMAJ. 2009 Sep 1; 181(5):257-63. Epub 2009 Aug 17.