Peer reviewed study: The latest in adherence theory & research

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:47

Parental belief that medication necessity is an important factor in childrens adherence to inhaled steroids:

In a study of 527 Dutch children who regularly use asthma medication, adherence to inhaled corticosteroids was found to be good for 57 percent of the sample.

The strongest association with good adherence found in the study was the parental belief that medication use was necessary to maintain present and future health. Other strong adherence associations found included the child being younger than six years of age, both parents being of Dutch ethnicity and good inhaler technique.

The researchers concluded that these findings highlight the importance of persuading parents of children with asthma that regular use of inhaled corticosteriods is necessary for optimum control of their child's disease, especially for school-aged children.

Reference:

Koster, Ellen S., Raajimakers, Jan A.M., Vijverberg, Susanne J.H. and Maitland-van der Zee, Anke_Hilse. (2011). Inhaled corticosteroid adherence in paediatric patients: the PACMAN cohort study. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety; 20: 1064-1072.

Comments:

Prof. Keith Petrie: "This study shows that parental beliefs in the necessity of the medication for controlling asthma play a critical role in adherence, particularly with younger children.  The parental influence, however, tends to weaken once children are over six years of age."

Brought to you by the Atlantis Research Institute