Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2012 Mar;22(1):37-44.

Multicenter Study on Factors Influencing the Quality of Life of Asthmatic Children and Their Caregivers

• Cho AR
• Lee SY
• Kim YH
• Yoo Y
• Yang HJ
• Lee JS
• Song TW
• Kim WK
• Hong SJ
• Kang IJ
• Lee HR

Abstract

PURPOSE
Pediatric asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. It negatively affects the health-related quality of life (QoL) in children with this disease and of their caregivers. This study evaluated the relationship between clinical disease severity and the QoL of patients with asthma and their caregivers.
METHODS
The study included 247 patients with asthma and their caregivers. The patients and caregivers completed the Korean Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Korean Pediatric Asthma Caregivers Quality of Life Questionnaire, respectively, during clinic visits. The results were expressed as the mean score for each domain. All items were rated from 1 to 5: 1, low QoL; and 5, satisfactory QoL.
RESULTS
The emotion and activity QoL scores of boys were significantly higher than those of girls (P=0.001). The QoL of both patients and their caregivers was correlated more with the patients' subjective symptom scores than with the clinical severity of asthma or with lung function.
CONCLUSION
The QoL of patients with asthma and their caregivers decreased as asthmatic symptoms became worse. Controlling asthma symptoms is important for improving the QoL of both patients and their caregivers. Patients and their caregivers need to be evaluated and counseled during asthma treatment to improve their QoL.

Keyword

Pediatric asthma; Caregivers; KPAQLQ; KPACQLQ; Quality of life

MeSH Terms

Ambulatory Care
Asthma
Caregivers
Child
Chronic Disease
Humans
Lung
Quality of Life
Surveys and Questionnaires

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