Global impact of asthma on children and adolescents' daily lives: the room to breathe survey.
OBJECTIVE
To establish children and adolescents' perspectives regarding their asthma and its impact upon their daily lives.


METHODS
A 14-item questionnaire.


METHODS
Canada, Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.


METHODS
Children/adolescents (aged 8-15 years) with physician-diagnosed asthma.


METHODS
Interviews were conducted by telephone (Canada, Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) or face-to-face (South Africa).


METHODS
Asthma symptoms, impact on activities, and quality of life.


RESULTS
Of the 943 children/adolescents interviewed, 60% were male. Most (81%) described their asthma as "not too bad" or "I only get it every now and then," with only 4% reporting their asthma as being "very bad"; however, 92% experienced asthma-related coughing and 59% reported nocturnal awakening. Over half (57%) of children/adolescents believed they could predict when their asthma would make them ill; the most common initial symptoms being breathlessness (41%) and bad cough (33%). They considered the worst things about having asthma to be the symptoms of an asthma attack (32%) and not being able to play sport (25%). Almost half (47%) of children/adolescents felt that their asthma affected their ability to play sport or engage in physical activity. One in ten reported they had suffered asthma-related bullying.


CONCLUSIONS
Children/adolescents underestimate the severity of their asthma, and overestimate its control, indicating that they expect their illness to be symptomatic. Asthma has a substantial impact on their daily lives, particularly on physical activity and social functioning. Efforts are required to improve asthma control and expectations of health in children/adolescents.
Department of Pediatrics, HFR, Fribourg, Switzerland. hanneswild@bluewin.ch
Johannes
J
Wildhaber
William D
WD
Carroll
Paul L P
PL
Brand
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires