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A5573 - A Feasibility Study of a Theory-Based Self-Management Intervention to Improve Adolescents' Asthma Control
Author Block: K. Harris, G. Mosler, J. Grigg; Genomics and Child Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Rationale:Hospitalisations and deaths from childhood asthma in the UK are disproportionally higher than elsewhere in Europe. A recent survey of asthmatic children in London secondary schools found high levels of poor asthma control, unplanned medical visits, and poor medication adherence and knowledge among teenagers in London. Subsequent focus groups identified barriers to medication adherence, including social stigma, peer awareness and poor knowledge about asthma. To address this, a self-management intervention has been developed, which aims to improve knowledge, and subsequently asthma control, through a series of school-based workshops. Methods:The aim was the test the feasibility of a series of self-management workshops, which will be delivered as part of a wider school-based intervention. The self-management workshops were delivered over the course of one school day, to twenty-four students with asthma in one London secondary school. The feasibility study comprised four self-management workshops, each covering a different topic that was identified in earlier focus groups as a key unmet need of teenagers with asthma. These topics included: (1) asthma general knowledge and understanding; (2) doctor communication; (3) asthma triggers and symptoms and (4) medication emergency response. The workshops also included self-management techniques and goal setting. Results:Twenty-four students with asthma participated in the workshops, including 13 male and 11 female students. The average age of the students was 12 years old. Following participation in the workshops, knowledge of asthma triggers increased by an average of 23.64% (pre-intervention = 62.9% vs post-intervention = 86.5%). Knowledge of what to do during an asthma attack increased by 38.1% (pre-intervention = 56.3% vs post-intervention = 94.4%). Knowledge of the spacer increased by 46.7% (pre-intervention = 20% vs post-intervention = 66.7%). Finally, knowledge of the differences between the reliever and preventer inhalers increased by an average of 40% (pre-intervention = 28.6% vs post-intervention = 67.6%). Conclusions:In conclusion, preliminary data suggests that a school-based self-management intervention is effective in improving knowledge of asthma across a range of topics. Conducting the intervention over the course of one school day was the preferred option among teachers, rather than conducting the intervention over a series of weeks. These findings will support the development of a wider school-based self-management intervention, aimed at improving asthma control and peer awareness.