Pilot--Promoting adherence;theory based asthma educatio

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

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Abstract

Description: (from applicant's Abstract) Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the airways, affecting nearly 10 million adults in the United States. Continued increases in asthma morbidity and the age-adjusted death rate-are disturbing given increased understanding of the disease pathophysiology and the availability of preventive medications that stabilize the underlying inflammatory processes of this disorder. Although asthma education programs have been widely described, rates of non-adherence with preventive medication are often over 50 percent. Because improvements in asthma knowledge have not resulted in consistent adherence, behaviorally focused strategies have been recommended. Behavioral processes influencing adherence have been linked in a theory called Protection Motivation Theory. An audiotaped education program has been developed that models Protection Motivation Theory and applies memory enhancement strategies to deliver asthma educational content recommended by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. This pilot study will utilize a randomized 2x2 factorial design with 40 adult asthmatic subjects. The specific aims of the study are to determine the effects of the audiotaped asthma education program, an asthma education brochure, both of these, and standard provider education on the dependent variables. Dependent variables include subjective and objective measures of asthma medication adherence and validated measures of asthma self-efficacy, asthma control (including spirometry readings), asthma knowledge, and asthma quality of life. Subjects must have been prescribed an asthma preventive medication within the past year and have no other chronic illness with symptoms similar to asthma. Hypotheses will be tested using analysis of variance. The long-term goal of this research is to refine cost-effective, behaviorally focused educational interventions that improve asthma medication adherence and other bio-behavioral outcomes.