학술논문
Knowledge and perceptions of asthma in Zambia: a cross-sectional survey
Document Type
Report
Author
Source
BMC Pulmonary Medicine. February 12, 2016, Vol. 16 Issue 32
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1471-2466
Abstract
Author(s): Emilia Jumbe Marsden[sup.1] , Somwe Wa Somwe[sup.2] , Chishala Chabala[sup.2] , Joan B. Soriano[sup.3] , Cesar Picado Vallès[sup.4] and Julio Anchochea[sup.5] Background Asthma is a serious global health problem [...]
Background Zambia is currently experiencing an epidemiological transition, from communicable to non-communicable diseases. The annual rate of physician-diagnosed asthma is estimated at 3 %. However, the general public's knowledge of asthma symptoms and signs, and their perception of asthma remain unknown. A survey was conducted aiming to determine knowledge and perceptions of asthma among Zambians. Methods Adults and adolescents attending four clinics in the capital, Lusaka, were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire from July 2011 to March 2012. Results Data from 1,540 participants (mean age 30.7 years, 65 % female) were collected. Most patients (74 %) were living in low-cost housing. One hundred and sixteen (7.6 %) participants reported either a medical diagnosis of asthma or currently taking asthma medications. The most frequent asthma symptoms reported were wheezing (88 %), and waking up at night with either shortness of breath (85 %), chest tightness (85 %), or cough (67 %). Medications used to treat asthma were mostly oral short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) (59 %), inhaled SABA (30.2 %) and antibiotics (29.8 %). Inhaled steroids were only used by 16.4 % while less than 1 % were on long-acting beta-agonists (LABA). Many misconceptions were identified among the entire surveyed population with only 54.7 % believing hospitalisations are not preventable, 54.7 % believing asthma symptoms can be prevented with the right medications and 37 % believing inhalers are addictive. Nearly 60 % thought that people with asthma cannot exercise or play hard. Significantly more individuals with asthma compared to those without thought tablets are better than inhalers for the treatment of asthma (46 % vs 30 %). Conclusions We conclude that knowledge on asthma is poor in Zambia, where there remains many misconceptions on asthma and its management. Keywords: Africa, Asthma, Medications, Misconceptions, Symptoms, Zambia
Background Zambia is currently experiencing an epidemiological transition, from communicable to non-communicable diseases. The annual rate of physician-diagnosed asthma is estimated at 3 %. However, the general public's knowledge of asthma symptoms and signs, and their perception of asthma remain unknown. A survey was conducted aiming to determine knowledge and perceptions of asthma among Zambians. Methods Adults and adolescents attending four clinics in the capital, Lusaka, were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire from July 2011 to March 2012. Results Data from 1,540 participants (mean age 30.7 years, 65 % female) were collected. Most patients (74 %) were living in low-cost housing. One hundred and sixteen (7.6 %) participants reported either a medical diagnosis of asthma or currently taking asthma medications. The most frequent asthma symptoms reported were wheezing (88 %), and waking up at night with either shortness of breath (85 %), chest tightness (85 %), or cough (67 %). Medications used to treat asthma were mostly oral short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) (59 %), inhaled SABA (30.2 %) and antibiotics (29.8 %). Inhaled steroids were only used by 16.4 % while less than 1 % were on long-acting beta-agonists (LABA). Many misconceptions were identified among the entire surveyed population with only 54.7 % believing hospitalisations are not preventable, 54.7 % believing asthma symptoms can be prevented with the right medications and 37 % believing inhalers are addictive. Nearly 60 % thought that people with asthma cannot exercise or play hard. Significantly more individuals with asthma compared to those without thought tablets are better than inhalers for the treatment of asthma (46 % vs 30 %). Conclusions We conclude that knowledge on asthma is poor in Zambia, where there remains many misconceptions on asthma and its management. Keywords: Africa, Asthma, Medications, Misconceptions, Symptoms, Zambia