HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA IN ENUGU

  • : Ms Word, Ms Word Format
  • : 81 Pages
  • : ₦3000
  • : 1-5 Chapters
  •  
  • Click to DOWNLOAD Materials

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA IN ENUGU

Abstract

Health-related quality of life measures the health status as perceived by an individual, as it
affects his/her ability to function optimally.
This study was undertaken to ascertain the health- related quality of life of school
aged children with asthma seen at the Asthma Clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching
Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu. Children who did not have asthma served as controls. The
degree of asthma control was also assessed to determine what influence it had on the quality
of life.
The study was carried out between November 2009 and April 2010 during which
period a total 180 participants, 90 with asthma and 90 without asthma were enrolled. It was a
cross-sectional hospital-based study. Historical information of each participant was collected.
Quality of life scores were obtained using two interviewer-administered questionnaires.
1)The Paediatric Quality of Life inventory (PedsQLTM) which reviews quality of life in
children and 2) The Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire (PAQLQ) for children
with asthma. The Asthma Therapy Assessment Questionnaire (ATAQ) was used for level of
asthma control. The level of asthma control scores obtained, were compared with their
quality of life scores.
The ages of the subjects and controls were comparable (p = 0.38). The cumulative
PedsQL mean scores for asthma and non-asthma children were 75.5± 19.3 and 82.7± 14.5
respectively (p = 0.01). A statistically significant difference in the quality of life was noted in
the physical functioning subscale, where the mean PedsQL scores were 73.4± 23.2 and 84.4±
17.3 (p = 0.002) in asthmatic and non-asthmatic children respectively. The social functioning
domain had the highest scores in both asthma and non-asthma patients; 82.7± 20.3 and 87.6±
15.7(p = 0.08) respectively. For all the domains, boys had higher cumulative values for the
quality of life scores than girls, irrespective of the age or socioeconomic class. There was an
inverse though weak relationship between increasing age and QOL scores (r = -0.2, p = 0.07).
Using the PAQLQ for children with asthma, the cumulative QOL score ranged from
2.3 to 7.0, with a mean score of 5.2 ± 1.2. The worst quality of life score was in the symptom
domain: 5.1 ±1.4, whilst the emotional domain was the least affected 5.4± 1.3.
Of the study population with asthma, 15 (16.7%) were well-controlled, 17 (18.9%)
were partly-controlled, while 58 (64.4%) had uncontrolled asthma.
When QOL was calculated for children with different levels of asthma control, those with
uncontrolled asthma had the worse quality of life scores: 5.19 and 5.06, in the activity and
symptom domains respectively, but the highest score in the emotion domain (5.43), when
compared to those whose asthma were well-controlled (5.16) and those whose asthma were
partly-controlled (5.26). There was a weak correlation between quality of life scores and
levels of asthma control (r = -0.1, p = 0.51).
This study observed the areas of need in children with asthma and this was in the
physical functioning and symptom domains. Over sixty percent of children had uncontrolled
asthma which impacted negatively on their quality of life.
Quality of life measurements is useful in patients with asthma. If incorporated into
routine patient management, it may help bridge some of the gaps in knowledge and effective
management of children with asthma. Care for asthma patients, in addition to prescribing
medications, should include regular monitoring of the quality of life and asthma control,
especially as they grow into teenage years.

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA IN ENUGU

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply