Alkhamis Zahra Nizar, Hashim Sarah Alawi
Family Medicine Resident, Family Medicine Academy, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2019 Jun;8(6):1908-1913. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_358_19.
Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory disease affecting young children. It is estimated that 14% of the world's children have had asthmatic symptoms, according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Schools represent "home" for most children as they spend about a third of their waking hours in school each weekday. Also, schools are significant sources of exposure to asthma-triggering allergens. Therefore, school personnel, including teachers, face all the issues of asthma management that the family meets at home. The aim of this study is to assess the levels of knowledge about asthma and its management among primary school teachers in Eastern Province; Saudi Arabia.
396 primary school teachers answered an electronic questionnaire about asthma. This questionnaire contained different questions which assessed teacher's knowledge about symptoms of asthma, and its management. Also, the survey can determine the teacher's attitude and practice regarding asthmatic students.
Overall, 59.6% of teachers had a high level of asthma knowledge as they were able to answer ≥75% of the knowledge questions correctly. Teachers' level of asthma knowledge was not significantly associated with age, but significantly associated with years of teaching experience, educational level and contact with an asthmatic individual. Most of the respondents were at a high level of awareness concerning asthma symptoms, triggering and treatment (73.2%, 60.9%, 60.7%), respectively, while only 19.4% had high knowledge level about sport and asthma.
The primary school teachers are not well informed about asthma and its management. Future educational efforts should seek to provide teachers with accurate information about asthma with particular concern for sport and asthma. This will have a significant impact on the management of this chronic respiratory disorder.
哮喘是影响幼儿的最常见慢性呼吸道疾病之一。根据儿童哮喘和过敏国际研究（ISAAC），估计全球14%的儿童有过哮喘症状。学校是大多数儿童的“家”，因为他们每个工作日约三分之一的清醒时间在学校度过。此外，学校是接触引发哮喘过敏原的重要来源。因此，包括教师在内的学校工作人员面临着家庭在家中遇到的所有哮喘管理问题。本研究的目的是评估沙特阿拉伯东部省份小学教师对哮喘及其管理的知识水平。
396名小学教师回答了一份关于哮喘的电子问卷。该问卷包含不同问题，评估教师对哮喘症状及其管理的知识。此外，该调查还能确定教师对哮喘学生的态度和做法。
总体而言，59.6%的教师哮喘知识水平较高，因为他们能够正确回答≥75%的知识问题。教师的哮喘知识水平与年龄无显著关联，但与教学年限、教育水平以及与哮喘患者的接触显著相关。大多数受访者对哮喘症状、诱发因素和治疗的认知水平较高（分别为73.2%、60.9%、60.7%），而只有19.4%的人对运动与哮喘有较高的知识水平。
小学教师对哮喘及其管理了解不足。未来的教育工作应努力为教师提供有关哮喘的准确信息，尤其关注运动与哮喘。这将对这种慢性呼吸道疾病的管理产生重大影响。
