Table 2.

Representative quotes of the main themes – narrative of minimization.

1.1 Dealing with an asthma diagnosis (low impact; family condition; importance of the diagnostic consultation)
[1.1a]	Elsa: “I was not surprised (when diagnosed with asthma) … My son has asthma since a child, my father also had it. It is in the family.”
[1.1b]	Júlia: “I didn’t worry (about asthma diagnosis). Because I was always feeling bad (…) and then I saw the problem solved.”
[1.1c]	Filipa: “I already knew that he [family doctor] was also asthmatic (…) and he said: “don’t be afraid, because when I was in college I already had asthma and I am still around.” To have heard this was reassuring.”
[1.1d]	Filipa: “I already knew that he [family doctor] was also asthmatic (…) he said to me: ‘don’t be afraid, because when I was in college I already had asthma and I am still around.’”
1.2 Self-management skills (avoidance of major crises; control of symptoms by SOS medication)
[1.2a]	Elsa: “I know that if I am in some bad environment, with smells, of course I will be attacked. But I know what to do (SOS medication).”
[1.2b]	Júlia: “It is more at night that I have more asthma, (…) and when I am attacked, I take my SOS pump and I immediately get better.”
[1.2c]	Maria: “My doctor prescribed me a medication, and I started doing it. But then, my mother-in-law, who suffers from bronchitis and used to take the same medication, told me: ‘don’t take that, then you get used to it and can’t walk anymore’: So I stopped. But then I went to a pharmacy and he (pharmacist) told me to do it, and I did; but later another pharmacist, in another pharmacy, told me to leave it. And now I don’t take it.”
1.3 Health literacy mediators (dense network)
1.3.1 Family and friends (close family members; emotional and pragmatic support)
[1.3.1a]	Filipa: “The medication was the same as my husband, and sometimes we shared. (…) When we go on vacations, his last question before leaving home (…) is if I have brought the pumps.”
[1.3.1b]	Manuela: “I went there 42 because they (siblings) told me that he (a doctor) was great! (…) He did an exam that nobody here in Portugal told me to do.”
[1.3.1c]	Graça: “If I’m having a crisis, (…) my daughters (…) know exactly what to do: one of them goes right away search for my inhaler/pump. They know that I always carry one in my bag or in my pocket.”
[1.3.1d]	João: “If I am a little ‘attacked’ my wife immediately says: “you will have a crisis!”. (…) She always ensures that I take it (medication).”
[1.3.1e]	João: “Once, my friends and I went to ride in karts. The building, completely indoor, was full of smoke from the karts. I felt bad, completely short of breath (…) My friends came with me outside, to breathe.”
[1.3.1f]	Filipa: “I have friends calling me, saying: “So, did you go to that doctor?” (…) They worry.”
1.3.2 Health professionals (PCP; instrumental support)
[1.3.2a]	Sebastião: “I go there (primary care center) often (…) usually I have two consultations a year.”
[1.3.2b]	Ema: “I don’t like to go to different doctors, because they all say different things.”
[1.3.2c]	Cristina: “My doctor is great. She really worries about us; we can feel it is genuine. She has a very close relationship with me, my son… I already told my sister [also asthmatic] she should move to this primary care center and be patient of my doctor.”
1.3.3 Media (not always reliable)
[1.3.3a]	Cristina: “I also go to the internet (…), but I think that sometimes it is bad, because they give opinions, but they are not experts.”
[1.3.3b]	Graça: “If people say things differently from the doctors, it is wrong, I don’t trust it. Not everybody can write about this (asthma); it must be a doctor.”