Caregivers’ perceptions of the relationship among weight, health status, and asthma in their children

Abstract

Asthma and obesity are the two most common childhood illnesses and are physiologically interrelated. Few studies have assessed parental perceptions and beliefs about this relationship to better target education and therapy. This study aimed to determine caregiver beliefs and perceptions regarding weight, health status, and asthma diagnoses. Data from a survey of caregivers to children aged 4–11 years are merged with corresponding anthropometric and medical data from the electronic medical record. Caregivers of children with asthma completed a supplemental questionnaire. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to evaluate associations between perception of health problem, asthma, and weight status. Increased weight status was ≥ 85th body mass index percentile per Centers for Disease Control classifications. Compared to caregivers of healthy children and those of children with healthy weight and asthma, caregivers of dual diagnosis children were more likely to identify weight as a health problem (OR = 3.89, 95% confidence interval [1.48, 10.21]). Nevertheless, only 31% of caregivers of children with dual diagnosis believed weight contributed to the severity of their child’s asthma. Less than one third of caregivers of dual diagnosis children believed that these diagnoses are interrelated. Addressing this gap in understanding is a critical next step to developing family-centered interventions.

The role of women in the field of early intervention

“…The prevalence of maternal figures in ECI studies can be attributed to the cultural expectations placed upon women in Western societies, as they are typically assigned the role of primary caregivers [ 30 ]. Women are socialized to develop their parenting skills, often resulting in them taking on the primary role in child-rearing [ 31 ].…”

What caregivers believe affected the quality of implementation of asthma‐related family management models (AFMM) during COVID‐19: A phenomenological qualitative study

“…Due to age, psychological and mental disadvantages, school‐age children are not competent to self‐manage asthma, so their caregiver becomes the primary implementer and supervisor of the AFMM, playing an irreplaceable role 12 . Several studies have confirmed the strong relationship between the quality of implementation of this model and asthma control outcomes in children, meaning that the higher the quality of AFMM implementation is, the better the health‐related outcomes will achieve 13 . Consequently, only a combination of standardized treatment and effective AFMM will be essential to reduce symptom recurrence, stabilize asthma control, and improve the quality of life for children and their caregivers in the future 14 …”