The knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) of mothers of asthmatic children toward asthma in Khartoum asthma clinics

Abstract

Prevention of asthma attacks is one of the major challenges of public health. Sufficient knowledge and positive attitudes and correct practices are crucial for the prevention of exacerbations. However, there is insufficiency of information in regard to these in Sudan. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and to identify the attitude and practice of mothers of asthmatic children concerning their use of inhalers, compliance to preventers and to measure its effect on the severity of the disease in their children. A sample of 100 consecutive mothers of asthmatic children was enrolled. Any mother with a child diagnosed with bronchial asthma for more than 3 months, and who attended the outpatient clinic of paediatric asthma in Soba or Ahmed Gasim hospitals or the Emergency room of Ahmed Gasim or Ibrahim Malik hospital in the period from 1st to 31st of October 2016 was eligible to be included. Asthma was believed to be infectious by 7% of the respondents. 17% of the mothers thought asthma was preventable by a vaccine. 21% found inhaler use unacceptable. Half of the mothers (50%) did not use the inhaler correctly. Most of the mothers (69%) did not use the inhaler if symptoms were mild and 53% didn’t use preventers. The severity of asthma was found to be significantly associated with the attitude and practice of mothers (P < 0.05). In conclusion, sustained efforts are required to increase knowledge about all dimensions of asthma and its management among patients and to disperse myths and misguided judgments regarding the disease and its treatment.

Asthma-Related Knowledge and Practices among Mothers of Asthmatic Children: A Latent Class Analysis

“…Higher education levels were associated with membership in the “good knowledge” class, consistently with several previous studies [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 14 ]. Indeed, mothers with higher education may be more likely to have prior knowledge and more inclined to gather and absorb new information [ 8 ].…”

“…Current evidence shows that the parental level of asthma-related knowledge may influence asthma management practices [ 2 ] and affect children’s disease control [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Much of the existing literature studying the impact of parental knowledge on childhood asthma outcomes focuses on mothers as the primary caregivers [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], suggesting that asthma in children is majorly managed by mothers. Therefore, assessing mothers’ knowledge and practices is essential for improving the management of childhood asthma.…”

Patient Characteristics and Caregiver Asthma Knowledge of Children with Well-Controlled and Poorly Controlled Asthma

“…Prior studies have shown that better knowledge of asthma self-management is associated with improved lung function, reduction of school absenteeism and ED visits. 9–12 Education of caregivers of children with asthma and clinician-generated AAPs are important components of asthma education and acceptable asthma control as recommended in the practice guidelines. 22 Evidence indicates that written AAPs are effective in the self-management of childhood asthma.…”

“…Studies have shown that asthma exacerbations are preventable when patients and caregivers receive formal education for asthma self-management. 3 , 9 Empowering children and caregivers with the required knowledge and self-management skills is necessary to achieve proper asthma control. 10 Despite this evidence, parents of children with asthma continue to have various misconceptions regarding asthma management.…”

Asthma Knowledge and Behaviours among Parents of Asthmatic Children Attending Paediatric Hospitals in Mosul City

“…The least knowledge was about bluish discoloration of lips and nails or peripheral cyanosis (45.5%). In Khartoum, 85% of mothers explored cough and dyspnoea as the main symptoms of asthma (19) , while dyspnoea, wheezing, chest tightness, and persistent cough were the main symptoms exhibited by elementary school teachers (20) .…”