Compliance with environmental control measures in the homes of children and adolescents with asthma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine, through home visits, the rate of compliance with environmental control measures in the homes of children with asthma.


METHODS
This study involved 98 asthma patients between the ages of 4 and 15. The parents of those children and adolescents received instruction in how to carry out environmental control measures and were encouraged to perform such measures continuously for a period of 90 days. Home visits, which included direct inspection of the domicile and administration of a questionnaire, were made before and after this 90-day period. In cases of noncompliance, parents were asked to explain why they did not carry out the control measures. Statistical analysis was performed using the McNemar test.


RESULTS
Overall compliance with the various items studied was 11.1%, ranging from -4.1% (for curtain control, p = 0.63) to 22.6% (for stuffed toys, p < 0.001). Passive smoking was reduced to 9.7% (p = 0.02). Among the families studied, the mean monthly income was 2.5 times the national minimum wage. When asked why they had not adopted the recommended measures, noncompliant parents gave, among others, the following explanations: "economic hardship" (60.1%); "the measures were too difficult to carry out" (6.1%); "nonparticipation of the father" (4%); and "lack of time on the part of the mother" (4%).


CONCLUSIONS
Environmental control measures were carried out sporadically, possibly reflecting the influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors.
Jentzsch
Nulma Souto
NS
Graduate Department of Medicine for Children and Adolescents, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. nulma@uai.com.br
Camargos
Paulo Augusto Moreira
PA
de Melo
Elza Machado
EM
D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000485:Allergens; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution