Efficacy of an Asthma Self-management Education Intervention for Children (9-13 Years) with Asthma and Their Caregiver in Wuhan, China

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy of an asthma self-management education program delivered to children and their caregiver at an outpatient clinic in Wuhan, China. METHOD: A quasi-experimental, two-group, pretest/posttest design was used. A convenience sample of children with asthma (N = 81) and their caregiver completed a survey at baseline and at 2-month follow-up. The experimental group (n = 41) received a 45-minute cognitive-behavioral asthma self-management educational intervention with 3 follow-up contacts at 15-day intervals before their scheduled revisit to the clinic at 2 months post-intervention. The control group (n = 40) received the current standard of care. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in the groups at baseline based on demographic or disease characteristics or outcome measures. Compared to participants in the control group, participants in the intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) in asthma self-management, frequency of peak flow meter use, asthma control, and child and caregiver quality of life. CONCLUSION: The outpatient asthma self-management education intervention was deemed efficacious for children with asthma and their caregiver.