DISEASE KNOWLEDGE AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ADULT ASTHMATICS

Abstract

The scholars believed that the education of asthma knowledge for adult asthmatics may enhance their quality of life. However, the empirical results of the relationship between asthma knowledge and quality of life are still equivocal. The aim of this paper is to reexamine the relationship between asthma knowledge and quality of life. The survey sample included 453 adult patients of asthma. We tested the moderating effect of patient versus non-specified respondent and high-versus low-educational level. The results of the hypothetical models indicated that knowledge had a significant indirect effect on quality of life, via the mediation of self-care behavior and disease severity. Results did not support the alternative model, indicating that there was no direct effect, above and beyond the indirect effect, of knowledge on quality of life. The comparison analyses indicated that there was no moderating effect of respondent's identity and patient's educational level on the relationship between knowledge and quality of life. Discussions about the improvement on quality of care are also provided.