Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Date

3-19-2018

Abstract or Description

BACKGROUND: In the U.S., asthma is the most common chronic illness in children under 18 years. An exploration of asthma admission rates in emergency departments indicated this was also the case for Southeast Georgia. Despite the availability of effective asthma treatments and interventions, asthma continues to severely impact children’s health-related QOL. PURPOSE: This exploratory study sought to assess quality of life (QOL) issues facing children with asthma and their caregivers. Specifically, this study aimed to 1) Determine the baseline QOL in children with asthma and their parents/caregivers, & 2) Determine what factors affect QOL for children with asthma and their caregivers. METHODS: This exploratory study employed a mixed-model design. Participants were recruited for a convenience sample from a large children’s hospital outpatient clinic in Southeast Georgia. Participants included children aged 7-17 with a diagnosis of asthma or reactive airway disease (N=104) and their parents/caregivers (N=104). Child participants completed the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ), a reliable and validated QOL questionnaire for childhood asthma focusing on the domains of activity limitations, emotional function, and an exploration of symptoms. Caregiver participants completed a demographics questionnaire and the Paediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ), a reliable and validated QOL questionnaire for caregivers of children with childhood asthma focusing on two domains, activity limitations and emotional function. Items in both the PAQLQ and PACQLQ questionnaires are rated on a 7-point scale, with higher scores indicating less impairment and lower scores indicating greater impairment to the domain under consideration. RESULTS & CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In addressing the first aim of this study, the results revealed that the baseline QOL for children with asthma and their caregivers was relatively high. In addressing the second aim of this study, the results of both the PAQLQ and the PACQLQ revealed that the most significant factor that affects the QOL of children with asthma is ED visits. The more ED visits reported, the greater the impairment to emotional function and physical activity. While the findings of this study demonstrate a positive baseline QOL, it is important to further investigate the specific impact of ED visits on QOL of children with asthma and their caregivers. An important clinical implication is that education on controlling asthma symptoms to prevent ED visits for both children and their caregivers may be of value to improve their QOL.

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Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

Location

Chicago, IL

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