| Methods |
DESIGN: Randomised Controlled Trial
METHOD OF RANDOMISATION: the word "random" stated ; stratified according to severity (moderate/severe)
METHOD OF ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT: not described.
OUTCOME ASSESSOR BLINDING: not stated.
WITHDRAWAL/DROPOUTS: all subjects accounted for. |
| Participants |
Eligible: 68
Randomised: 55
Completed: 54 (Intervention 31; Control 24)
Age: Overall mean: 50 yrs (sd 16)
Sex: Male / Female 19/36
Asthma Diagnosis: Doctor's diagnosis
Recruitment: Rural community
Diseases Included: not specified ‐ but smokers were included
Major exclusions: Not specified
Baseline:
FEV1: Patients described their asthma as moderate to severe.
PEF: am intervention 360 (sd 105); control 365 (sd 137)
pm intervention 347 (sd 107); control 371 (sd 140)
Exacerbations: not stated |
| Interventions |
Setting: community based education program
Type: Small group education and self monitoring of peak flow and symptoms.
Control: No special education. Controls kept an asthma diary (symptoms and PEF) for one week at baseline and one week at the end of the study for outcome assessment.
Duration: 6 x 2 hour training sessions ie 1/week over 6 weeks. |
| Outcomes |
Compliance, symptoms, am PEFR, pm PEFR, Asthma self‐efficacy, Asthma self‐management. |
| Notes |
|
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Unclear risk |
Information not available (Cochrane Grade B) |
