Self management practices in adult asthmatics.

AIM

To examine how adherence to medications and use of competencies (eg, avoiding personal precipitants and managing an acute attack) vary by age, sex, education and number of symptoms in a sample of adult asthmatics.

METHODS

412 adult asthmatics, members of two asthma societies, participated in a mailed survey. The questionnaire contained measures of asthma medication adherence, asthma health competencies, asthma symptoms, and demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Older asthmatics were more likely to adhere and to use more competencies. Females used more competencies than males. Asthmatics with higher numbers of symptoms used more competencies. No differences were found by educational level.

CONCLUSIONS

Better adherence in older asthmatics may be due to their having developed greater recognition of the efficacy of medications. The more extensive use of competencies by older people and by women reflects previous findings that these groups value health more and engage in less health threatening behaviours in general. The results also suggest that experiencing asthma symptoms motivates better self management practices. The study raises awareness of the role of competencies in controlling asthma, and should assist health professionals to identify specific differences in self management.