Correlation between parental knowledge regarding components of written asthma action plans and asthma control levels in asthmatic children in Southern Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Under the hypothesis that poor asthma control in Taiwan is associated with the underuse of written asthma action plans (WAAPs), we investigate the relationship between parental knowledge of key components of WAAP and asthma control levels. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study from July 2019 to July 2021. “Written Asthma Action Plan” questionnaires were completed by the parents of asthmatic children, and the responses were correlated to the asthma symptom control level according to the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Results: A total of 67 asthmatic children were enrolled (males 71.6%, mean age 6.3 ± 3.3 years). The asthma control level was significantly related to WAAP questionnaire score. The key components of “know the daily medication and how to use them” and “know the triggers and how to deal with them” both showed significantly higher understanding rates in the partly controlled children compared to the uncontrolled children (P < 0.005). The rates of having WAAPs were both below 10% in these two groups. Conclusion: The asthma control level was significantly and positively related to the understanding of key WAAP components. The development of an easy-to-use WAAP and its use as a standard tool for asthmatic children is expected to greatly improve asthma control in Taiwan.