title: Factors associated with quality of life in children with asthma living in Scotland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma affects children's quality of life (QoL) but factors associated with QoL are not well understood. Our hypothesis was that there are factors linked to QoL which are amenable to treatment or environmental modification.
  
  
  METHODS
  QoL was ascertained in a study designed to link environmental exposures to asthma outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to determine which factors are associated with QoL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 553 children with asthma where QoL was determined, mean age 10.3 and 312 (58%) were boys. The median QoL score was 5.9 (interquartile range 4.6, 6.8). In the multivariate model, asthma severity (as evidenced by British Thoracic Society, BTS, treatment step), smoking exposure, socioeconomic status and rhinitis were associated with the QoL score. QoL score was reduced by (i) 30% [95% confidence interval 20, 39] for those on BTS step 4 compared to BTS step 1 treatment (ii) 11% [2, 19] for children with ≥ two resident smokers with reference to no resident smokers (iii) 3% [1, 5] for each quintile difference in deprivation compared to the most affluent and (iv) 9% [4, 14] for children with rhinitis compared to no rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The QoL for children with asthma in the UK is generally good. Clinicians caring children with asthma should consider routinely asking about smoke exposure and hayfever symptoms in addition to assessing asthma control.
authors.affiliation: Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.|Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vaida
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taminskiene
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Somnath
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacogenetics, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ayres
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.|Clinic of Children's Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Arunas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valiulis
authors.affiliation: Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Steve W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000150:complications*; D012606:Scotland; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking
keywords: Asthma; children; quality of life; smoking; treatment