Women and Asthma: Lessons from a Gender Analysis of the Asthma in Canada Survey

Abstract

Objective. To compare the degree of asthma control achieved by men and women with asthma in Canada and to explore differences in patient perspectives, treatments used, and health care resources used between men and women with asthma. Design. Population-based cross-sectional telephone interview survey of Canadians with doctor-diagnosed asthma.

Subjects and methods. Random digit dialing was used to identify a representative sample of Canadians with asthma. A total of 801 adults were interviewed over the telephone. Analysis was performed on the data from a subgroup of 20- to 50-year-old patients with asthma who participated in the original survey (329 women and 183 men).

Results. Women and men were equally likely to be poorly controlled (58% vs. 56%, p > 0.05) as defined by failing to meet two or more of six symptom-based criteria listed by the 1996 Canadian Asthma Consensus (CAC) Guidelines as appropriate treatment targets. However, there were significant differences in medication used; women were more likely than men to use an inhaled corticosteroid in the treatment of their asthma (59% vs. 45%, p < 0.05) and were more knowledgeable about their appropriate use (62% vs. 46%, p < 0.05), and were more likely to be satisfied with their physicians' care. Despite this, women were more likely than men to have required urgent care for their asthma in the year preceding the survey (50% vs. 36%, p < 0.05).

Conclusion. Women report greater need for urgent asthma care despite more frequent use of inhaled corticosteroids and better asthma knowledge scores than men.

Keywords:

• survey
• control
• symptoms
• patient education