Asthma, Asthma in Children
Conditions
Keywords
Asthma, Adolescent, Self-efficacy, Quality of life, Asthma control
Brief summary
BACKGROUND: Asthma is a long-term lung condition affecting 1 in 11 children and young people in the UK. Many teenagers have well controlled asthma, but a significant number continue to experience regular symptoms and asthma attacks leading to hospitalisations. While non-adherence to medication is a factor, teenagers also face challenges like changing relationships with parents and peers, avoiding triggers like smoking, and fitting in treatment with daily life demands. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) also face difficulties in managing teenagers with asthma. A previous study, funded by Asthma + Lung UK, developed a new approach to manage teenage asthma by focusing on self-efficacy, which is how confident one feels about performing a task. Teenagers completed the Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ), which identified areas where they needed more support. HCPs then tailored their consultations to address these needs. This approach improved the teenagers' confidence in self-managing their asthma. Improving quality of life (QoL) is a key goal in asthma care. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine if the self-efficacy approach improves QoL for teenagers with asthma. METHODS: Teenagers aged 12-18 years with asthma will be recruited from hospital clinics. They will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1. Teenager will complete the AASEQ at the start of their appointment. The HCPs will use this to focus the consultation on areas where the teenager needs support in self-managing their asthma. 2. Teenager will have their usual consultation with the HCP. Three months after the appointment, the QoL will be compared between the two groups using a standardised questionnaire. IMPACT: If the self-efficacy approach proves to be beneficial, it could help HCPs to empower teenagers to better manage their asthma and ultimately improve their quality of life.
Interventions
OTHERClinic consultation focused on asthma self-management
The clinic healthcare professionals (HCPs) will be provided with the completed Adolescent Asthma Self-efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ), which will help identify areas where participants need additional support to improve their asthma self-management skills. Targeted behavioural interventions, developed during the 'ItsMyAsthma' study, will be applied during the clinic consultation to address individual needs.
Sponsors
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adolescent aged 12-18 years * Attending a paediatric respiratory clinic * Informed consent from adolescent aged ≥16 years, and assent plus parent/guardian consent for adolescents aged ≤16 years * Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score ≤5.5 points
Exclusion criteria
* Aged 0-11 or over 18 years * Other significant long-term medical condition that has a day-to-day impact on their lives (except for co-existing allergic conditions, breathing pattern disorder, dysfunctional breathing, or intermittent laryngeal obstruction) * Adolescent or parent/guardian unable to communicate sufficiently to complete consent forms.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) | 3 months after enrolment | Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score ranging from 0-36 points, with a higher score indicating worse quality of life. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Asthma-related healthcare utilisation | 3 months after enrolment | Asthma-related healthcare utilisation including number of asthma exacerbations requiring prednisolone/dexamethasone, and/or GP visits, Emergency Department, Hospital, or Intensive care admissions. |
| Asthma Control Test (ACT) | 3 months after enrolment | Asthma Control Test score ranging from 5-25 points, with a higher score indicating better asthma control. |
| Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ) | 3 months after enrolment | Adolescent Asthma Self Efficacy Questionnaire score ranging from 0-100 points, with a higher score indicating greater self-efficacy for management of asthma. |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactAnna Rattu
Backup ContactGraham Roberts
Outcome results
None listed