Parental attitudes towards the management of asthma in ethnic minorities.
OBJECTIVE
Children from Indian and Pakistani (South Asian) and black minority groups have relatively high rates of attendance at accident and emergency (A&E) departments and admissions to hospital in the UK. We examine parents' beliefs and management of childhood asthma that possibly contribute to their greater use of hospital services.


METHODS
Questionnaire survey.


METHODS
Three London hospitals serving multicultural communities with a high proportion of South Asian subjects.


METHODS
Parent(s) accompanying 150 children aged 3-9 years with asthma attending asthma clinics and A&E departments.


METHODS
White, South Asian and "other" ethnic group parents were compared regarding their children's symptoms and asthma in relation to why their children had developed asthma, use of asthma treatments, views about the prognosis of their children's asthma, and their feelings associated with stigma.


RESULTS
South Asian more often than white parents stated that they did not give preventers to their children (odds ratio (OR) 0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12 to 0.75), that most drugs were "addictive" (OR 3.89; 95% CI 1.47 to 10.27), and that medicines could do more harm than good (OR 3.19; 95% CI 1.22 to 8.34). South Asian and "other" ethnic groups were more reluctant to tell others about their children's asthma (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.01 to 1.06 and OR 0.06; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.65, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Cultural perspectives related to ethnicity are key factors in the understanding of asthma management. Health staff should give high priority to eliciting parents' beliefs regarding management of their children's asthma.
Smeeton
Nigel C
NC
Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, UK. nigel.smeeton@kcl.ac.uk
Rona
Roberto J
RJ
Gregory
Jane
J
White
Patrick
P
Morgan
Myfanwy
M
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents