The adherence to asthma medication for hospitalized children with asthma: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The aim of the study was to assess adherence to asthma controller therapy and factors that influence asthma control and to determine the association between asthma knowledge of the caregiver and asthma control among admitted children with asthma. A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2022 and May 2023 in a tertiary care hospital. Children with a diagnosis of asthma aged 2–14 years, who were admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of asthma were identified. Caregivers of the admitted children were interviewed using the Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire and Pediatric Inhaler Adherence Questionnaire. Demographic and clinical data were described using descriptive analyses, where mean and standard deviation were used for normally distributed continuous variables, median and interquartile range (IQR), if otherwise. A P < 0.05 was set as a cutoff for statistical significance. A total of 144 caregivers completed the survey. Median score for parents’ knowledge of asthma was 64%, with an IQR of 59–67. Both mother’s and father’s educational levels were associated with a good level of knowledge: odds ratio (OR) = 2.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1–5.6, and OR = 5.33, 95% CI = 2.23–12.7, respectively. Median adherence to metered dose inhaler (MDI) was 4 (IQR = 2–6). Children who had been admitted to the general ward in the last 6 months were three times more likely to be nonadherent to MDI (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.18–7.82). Forty-three percent of children who were nonadherent to MDI were less likely to have their asthma controlled (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.17–1.06). This study revealed that a low level of knowledge among caregivers of asthma patients is linked to inadequate adherence to asthma controller therapy. As medication adherence is crucial for achieving desirable asthma control and improving the quality of life for this population, efforts need to be made to enhance the knowledge level of parents of children with asthma.