Factors Determining the Quality of Life of Patients with COPD in Tunisia

Quality of Life Determinants in Children and Adolescents with Mild to Moderate Asthma in Tunisia

Chronic childhood asthma is a leading cause of poor quality of life. Factors associated with this major asthma outcome were controversial. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life of children and adolescents with mild to moderate asthma and to determine the factors associated with quality of life impairment in this population. This was a descriptive study carried out in the pediatric outpatient clinic of a University Hospital in the center of Tunisia over a period of 3 months (April-June 2018). Participants were children with mild to moderate asthma aged 7 to 17 years. The Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was used to assess quality of life. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of asthma-related quality of life. A total of 90 children participated in the study. Almost 68% of children were aged 7 to 11, and nearly 32% were adolescents. The mean of PAQLQ total score was 4.7 ± 1.2. The final logistic regression model demonstrated that asthma symptoms control had the greatest impact on quality of life, followed by acute health care use in the past 12 months (p = .007; p = .01, respectively). The child gender and the parent's quality of life were also associated with the child's quality of life (p = .02; p = .008, respectively). This study revealed that children and adolescents with mild to moderate asthma had a moderate quality of life score. Asthma symptoms control, acute health care use, gender, and parent's quality of life determined the quality of life of children with asthma. Family-based asthma training programs that target family functioning and asthma outcomes are required.

Factors Associated with Acute Health Care Use in Children and Adolescents with Asthma

Asthma is a leading cause of acute health care use (AHCU) as defined by hospitalization and emergency department visits (ED). Little was known about factors associated with asthma-related AHCU. This study aimed to identify factors determining AHCU in children and adolescents with asthma. A descriptive study was conducted among children with mild to severe asthma referred to the pediatric outpatient clinic of "Farhat Hached" University Hospital of Sousse (Tunisia) over a period of three months (April-June 2018). We collected data regarding clinical information, the number of hospitalizations and ED visits related to asthma in the past 12 months, asthma management behaviors, and quality of life of children. Multivariable logistic regression was performed using SPSS (20.0). A total of 90 children have participated in the study. The percentage of children aged 7 to 11 years was higher than the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (67.8%; 32.2%, respectively). The final logistic regression model demonstrated that asthma severity and inhaler technique increased the odds of AHCU (OR a = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.1-18.1; p = .03, OR a = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.1-7.8; p = .02, respectively). Also, increased quality of life score reduced the odds of AHCU (OR a = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.9; p = .01). These results suggest that the organization of programs targeting the management of these factors can reduce the workload on hospital services and emergencies.