Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The British Journal of General Practice logoLink to The British Journal of General Practice
. 2003 Mar;53(488):185–190.

Qualitative study of young people's and parents' beliefs about childhood asthma.

Peter Callery 1, Linda Milnes 1, Chrissie Verduyn 1, Jonathan Couriel 1
PMCID: PMC1314542  PMID: 14694693

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Asthma continues to be a common childhood chronic illness managed principally in primary care. Self-management requires co-ordinated efforts of young people, carers and health professionals. Non-compliance occurs even when parents are supervising care, suggesting that decisions are made on the basis of beliefs that contrast with professional advice. Health professionals therefore need to understand the views of parents (or other carers) and patients to promote good self-management. Little attention has been given to carers' and young people's perspectives on asthma. AIM: To gain insights into the beliefs of a group of 25 young people aged nine to 16 years old and their carers about asthma and its management. DESIGN OF STUDY: Qualitative study using conversational-style interviews. SETTING: Generally deprived urban areas of Greater Manchester. METHOD: Interviews were conducted with 25 young people with asthma and separately with their carers. The interviews were analysed using the principles and procedures of grounded theory. RESULTS: Carers reported assessing asthma symptoms through observed effects on the child and other family members, including emotions and behaviours that disrupted family life. Young people emphasised the effect of asthma on their everyday lives and in particular the extent to which they appeared different to their peers. Some young people reported continuing symptoms and restrictions of activity that differed widely from the reports of their carers. CONCLUSION: Differences between young people's and carers' criteria for assessment suggest explanations for some 'non-compliant' behaviour. Carers' assessment of asthma severity through the absence of acute attacks is consistent with managing asthma as intermittent acute episodes. Professionals should take account of differences between young people's, carers' and professionals' perceptions of asthma.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (81.2 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bernard-Bonnin A. C., Stachenko S., Bonin D., Charette C., Rousseau E. Self-management teaching programs and morbidity of pediatric asthma: a meta-analysis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1995 Jan;95(1 Pt 1):34–41. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(95)70150-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burr M. L., Anderson H. R., Austin J. B., Harkins L. S., Kaur B., Strachan D. P., Warner J. O. Respiratory symptoms and home environment in children: a national survey. Thorax. 1999 Jan;54(1):27–32. doi: 10.1136/thx.54.1.27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cane R. S., Ranganathan S. C., McKenzie S. A. What do parents of wheezy children understand by "wheeze"? Arch Dis Child. 2000 Apr;82(4):327–332. doi: 10.1136/adc.82.4.327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chambers C. V., Markson L., Diamond J. J., Lasch L., Berger M. Health beliefs and compliance with inhaled corticosteroids by asthmatic patients in primary care practices. Respir Med. 1999 Feb;93(2):88–94. doi: 10.1016/s0954-6111(99)90296-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Douglass Jo, Aroni Rosalie, Goeman Dianne, Stewart Kay, Sawyer Susan, Thien Frank, Abramson Michael. A qualitative study of action plans for asthma. BMJ. 2002 Apr 27;324(7344):1003–1005. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7344.1003. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Eiser C. It's OK having asthma ... young children's beliefs about illness. Prof Nurse. 1991 Mar;6(6):342–345. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gibson N. A., Ferguson A. E., Aitchison T. C., Paton J. Y. Compliance with inhaled asthma medication in preschool children. Thorax. 1995 Dec;50(12):1274–1279. doi: 10.1136/thx.50.12.1274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Greaves C. J., Eiser C., Seamark D., Halpin D. M. G. Attack context: an important mediator of the relationship between psychological status and asthma outcomes. Thorax. 2002 Mar;57(3):217–221. doi: 10.1136/thorax.57.3.217. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Guyatt G. H., Juniper E. F., Griffith L. E., Feeny D. H., Ferrie P. J. Children and adult perceptions of childhood asthma. Pediatrics. 1997 Feb;99(2):165–168. doi: 10.1542/peds.99.2.165. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ireland L. M. Children's perceptions of asthma: establishing normality. Br J Nurs. 1997 Oct 9;6(18):1059–1064. doi: 10.12968/bjon.1997.6.18.1059. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jones A., Pill R., Adams S. Qualitative study of views of health professionals and patients on guided self management plans for asthma. BMJ. 2000 Dec 16;321(7275):1507–1510. doi: 10.1136/bmj.321.7275.1507. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kamps A. W., Roorda R. J., Brand P. L. Peak flow diaries in childhood asthma are unreliable. Thorax. 2001 Mar;56(3):180–182. doi: 10.1136/thorax.56.3.180. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Madge P., McColl J., Paton J. Impact of a nurse-led home management training programme in children admitted to hospital with acute asthma: a randomised controlled study. Thorax. 1997 Mar;52(3):223–228. doi: 10.1136/thx.52.3.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ostergaard M. S. Childhood asthma: parents' perspective--a qualitative interview study. Fam Pract. 1998 Apr;15(2):153–157. doi: 10.1093/fampra/15.2.153. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Petrie K. J., Weinman J., Sharpe N., Buckley J. Role of patients' view of their illness in predicting return to work and functioning after myocardial infarction: longitudinal study. BMJ. 1996 May 11;312(7040):1191–1194. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7040.1191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Popay J., Rogers A., Williams G. Rationale and standards for the systematic review of qualitative literature in health services research. Qual Health Res. 1998 May;8(3):341–351. doi: 10.1177/104973239800800305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Renzoni E., Forastiere F., Biggeri A., Viegi G., Bisanti L., Chellini E., Ciccone G., Corbo G., Galassi C., Rusconi F. Differences in parental- and self-report of asthma, rhinitis and eczema among Italian adolescents. SIDRIA collaborative group. Studi Italiani sui Disordini Respiratori dell' Infanzia e l'Ambiente. Eur Respir J. 1999 Sep;14(3):597–604. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-3003.1999.14c19.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Scharloo M., Kaptein A. A., Weinman J. A., Willems L. N., Rooijmans H. G. Physical and psychological correlates of functioning in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Asthma. 2000 Feb;37(1):17–29. doi: 10.3109/02770900009055425. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stevens C. A., Wesseldine L. J., Couriel J. M., Dyer A. J., Osman L. M., Silverman M. Parental education and guided self-management of asthma and wheezing in the pre-school child: a randomised controlled trial. Thorax. 2002 Jan;57(1):39–44. doi: 10.1136/thorax.57.1.39. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tates K., Meeuwesen L. Doctor-parent-child communication. A (re)view of the literature. Soc Sci Med. 2001 Mar;52(6):839–851. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00193-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wesseldine L. J., McCarthy P., Silverman M. Structured discharge procedure for children admitted to hospital with acute asthma: a randomised controlled trial of nursing practice. Arch Dis Child. 1999 Feb;80(2):110–114. doi: 10.1136/adc.80.2.110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Young B., Fitch G. E., Dixon-Woods M., Lambert P. C., Brooke A. M. Parents' accounts of wheeze and asthma related symptoms: a qualitative study. Arch Dis Child. 2002 Aug;87(2):131–134. doi: 10.1136/adc.87.2.131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of General Practice are provided here courtesy of Royal College of General Practitioners

RESOURCES