Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of prescribed inhalers in asthmatic children attending Ambulatory Healthcare Services Clinics

Background: Bronchial asthma affects 10%–15% of children worldwide. Parental attitudes constitute a major factor in helping to achieve successful asthma control in children. We aimed to assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding the use of prescribed inhalers for children with asthma in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey-based study conducted at the Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) clinics across Abu Dhabi. Questionnaires that assessed parental KAPs regarding inhalers used in asthma were distributed to 365 parents of children (≤10 years of age) who had a diagnosis of asthma and had been followed up at an Abu Dhabi AHS clinic in the past 12 months. Results: Only 9.3% of the participants correctly answered ≥75% of the questions assessing knowledge, whereas 49.0% gave positive responses to ≥80% of the questions related to attitudes and 56.2% correctly performed ≥53% of the practices. Higher levels of knowledge and practices were demonstrated among nonnationals and those with a higher level of education, and more positive attitudes were found among older parents. Knowledge and attitudes positively correlated with the level of practice. Conclusions: Although a minority of the participants had a good level of knowledge, they tended to demonstrate positive attitudes and good practices with regard to the use of an inhaler. Overall, a much more concerted effort is required by healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi to assess parental understanding about their child's inhaler as well as educate parents about their practical use.

Key-words:

Abu Dhabi - Ambulatory Healthcare Services - asthma - attitudes - knowledge - parents - practices

• References

• 1 Data from National Health Review Survey. National Center for Health Statistics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Center for Disease Control and Prevention; 2006. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/NHIS/06/Data.htm. [Last accessed on 2010 Oct 12].
• 2 Global Initiative for Asthma. Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention in Children 5 Years and Younger. Available from: http://www.ginathma.org. [Last accessed on 2019 Apr 21].
• 3 American Lung Association, Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, Research and Program Services. Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Mortality; 2009. Available from: http://www.lungusa.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/asthma-trendreport.pdf. [Last accessed on 2011 Jan 20].
• 4 Bener A, Abdulrazzaq YM, Debuse P, al-Mutawwa J. Prevalence of asthma among Emirates school children. Eur J Epidemiol 1994;10:271-8.
• 5 al-Maskari F, Bener A, al-Kaabi A, al-Suwaidi N, Norman N, Brebner J. Asthma and respiratory symptoms among school children in United Arab Emirates. Allerg Immunol (Paris) 2000;32:159-63.
• 6 Kupczyk M, Haahtela T, Cruz AA, Kuna P. Reduction of asthma burden is possible through national asthma plans. Allergy 2010;65:415-9.
• 7 Pedersen SE, Hurd SS, Lemanske RF Jr, Becker A, Zar HJ, Sly PD, et al. Global Initiative for Asthma. Global strategy for the diagnosis and management of asthma in children 5 years and younger. Pediatr Pulmonol 2011;46:1-17.
• 8 Papadopoulos NG, Arakawa H, Carlsen KH, Custovic A, Gern J, Lemanske R, et al. International consensus on (ICON) pediatric asthma. Allergy 2012;67:976-97.
• 9 Zhao J, Shen K, Xiang L, Zhang G, Xie M, Bai J, et al. The knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents of children with asthma in 29 cities of China: A multi-center study. BMC Pediatr 2013;13:20.
• 10 Rodríguez Martínez C, Sossa MP. Validation of an asthma knowledge questionnaire for use in parents or guardians of children with asthma. Arch Bronconeumol 2005;41:419-24.
• 11 Al-Anazi A, Al Moamary M, Ismaeli T, Alanazi A, Olayan L, Alanazi A, et al. The reliability of the Arabic version of the asthma knowledge questionnaire and assessment of the level of asthma awareness among parents of children with asthma in Saudi Arabia. Middle East J Sci Res 2014;20:412-8.
• 12 Ibrahim Mohamed OM, Karameh WK. Knowledge, attitude and behaviour of asthmatic patients regarding asthma in primary care setting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Middle East J Fam Med 2015;13:4-11.
• 13 Amin GM, Elsamman GA, Hussein HA. Knowledge of mothers of children with bronchial asthma. Med J Cairo Univ 2014;82:63-70.
• 14 Deis JN, Spiro DM, Jenkins CA, Buckles TL, Arnold DH. Parental knowledge and use of preventive asthma care measures in two pediatric emergency departments. J Asthma 2010;47:551-6.