Caregiver knowledge and its relationship to asthma control among children in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine caregiver responses to individual questions of the asthma knowledge questionnaire and to compare the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma among children according to caregiver responses (correct vs. incorrect). Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study among 158 children with asthma aged 4–11 who were attending the pediatric primary care clinic of the King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The asthma knowledge questionnaire for use with parents or guardians of children with asthma was used to measure the knowledge of caregivers. Asthma control in the children was measured using an Arabic version of the childhood asthma control test. Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma according to the caregivers’ responses. Results: This study showed substantial gaps in knowledge among caregivers of children with asthma. The answer to only one of 17 questions was well known (86.1%); this question involved the harm of smoking near a child with asthma. Answers on 11 of 17 questions were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with asthma control in children. Among the key questions explored, the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma was 3.0 (1.8–4.9), 2.5 (95% confidence interval = 1.7–3.9) and 1.8 (1.3–2.5) times higher among children of caregivers who did not disagree with the statements that it is not good for children to use an inhaler for too long, that inhalers can affect or damage the heart, and that children with asthma should use asthma medications only when they have symptoms. Conclusions: Although innovations are needed to help patients improve their adherence to treatment and to effectively utilize the benefits of contemporary asthma medications, we observe substantial knowledge-related problems in the asthma management of children in Saudi Arabia.

• Beliefs
• metered dose inhalers
• medication adherence
• myths
• smoking
• primary health care

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the developers of the asthma knowledge questionnaire for use with parents or guardians of children with asthma (Dr. Carlos E. Rodríguez Martínez) and the childhood asthma control test (GlaxoSmithKline plc.) for providing permission to use the questionnaires.