title: Children with asthma and nebulizer use: parental asthma self-care practices and beliefs.
abstract: We examined demographic characteristics, patterns of medication use, asthma morbidity, and asthma self-management practices and beliefs among inner-city children currently using a nebulizer. We also describe the relationship between asthma self-management practices and beliefs and anti-inflammatory (AI) therapy. We observed a high rate of morbidity, including frequent emergency room visits, hospitalizations, symptom days and nights, and school absences in this group of school-aged children with asthma. More than three-quarters (81%) reported asthma symptoms consistent with mild persistent or greater severity of asthma, and therefore these subjects should be taking AI medications. Another 16% (36 of 231) of these children reported symptoms consistent with mild intermittent asthma. Only 1 out of 7 children in this study reported taking AI medications. We found that parents of children taking daily AI medications were more likely to agree with the belief that children should use asthma medications daily even when the child is not reporting any symptoms.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-3144, USA. Abutz@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Butz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eggleston
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huss
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kolodner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rand
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012648:Self Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013256:Steroids
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D013256:Steroids