Asthma symptom perceptions varied among inner-city parents, children

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Clinicians should consider child reports of exercise-induced asthma symptoms and medication for asthma attacks to better identify those in need of improved disease management, according to data recently presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting.

“It is important for physicians to remember that with school-age children being away from their parents for many hours each day (when children are in school), parent assessments of a child’s asthma symptoms may be incomplete,” Marina Reznik, MD, MS, attending pediatrician in the department of pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, told Healio Allergy.

Marina Reznik

Reznik and colleagues compared the parent and child report of symptoms with exercise and medication usage in a school-based sample of children aged 7 to 10 years in four New York elementary schools. They included 105 child/parent pairs (mean child age, 8.5 years; asthma duration, 6.4 years; 54% male, 80% Hispanic), according to abstract data.

They found that more children compared with parents reported ever having an asthma attack caused by exercise (85% vs. 48%; P<.001). Data also indicated that more children than parents reported they “worry a lot” about developing an asthma attack during exercise (63% vs. 45%; P=.01).

The researchers observed fewer children who expressed competency when using an inhaler (60% of children were “very sure” of correct use vs. 76% of parents; P=.016), and fewer children reported having an inhaler available for an attack (20% of children were “very sure” vs. 38% of parents; P<.001).

Responses were not statistically significant regarding whether a child has the ability to know which medication to use during an asthma attack (41% of children were “very sure” vs. 49% of parents), according to data.

“Including child report regarding symptoms and medications may help identify children in need of enhanced asthma management,” Reznik said. “Increasing regular communication about asthma, particularly in the context of physical activity, between child, parent and physician is warranted to improve asthma control and overall health.” – by Samantha Costa

For more information:

Reznik M. #2355.2. Presented at: PAS 2014; May 2-6; Vancouver, British Columbia.

Disclosure: The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH – NICHD) and the Stony-Wold Herbert Foundation. The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.