Abstract
We aimed to assess knowledge about asthma in healthy adults from the general Portuguese population.
Data were collected as part of the Portuguese National Asthma Survey, a nationwide, cross-sectional, list-assisted, random-digit-dialing telephone survey. Adult participants without respiratory symptoms answered a 13-item statements tool with agree/disagree answer format about asthma knowledge.
The mean (SD) age of the 858 participants included was 56.3 (17.4); 53% (457) female; 47% (401) had up to 4 years (y) of education, 20% (175) 4-9y, 21% (176) 9-12y and 12% (104) had more than 12y; 22% (186) were classified in the low, 73% (619) medium, 5% (44) high socioeconomic strata. The highest frequencies of correct answers were for “Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled” 86% (726); “Asthma is a chronic disease”70% (592) and “People with asthma may exercise, except when having an asthma attack”68% (573). The most frequent errors were on: “Inhaled asthma medication are dangerous” 84% (710), “Asthma starts in childhood or young age” 75% (631) and “The airways are inflamed in asthma, even out of an asthma attack” 67% (563). No one answered correctly to all statements; 19% (158) answered correctly to 10 or more and 23% (192) to 5 or less statements. Knowledge was significantly different across socioeconomic strata, education levels, age (all p<0.001) and gender (p=0.046)
A wide variation on knowledge about asthma was observed among healthy adults from the Portuguese general population. Some topics such as chronicity and individual impact of asthma seem to be well known, while topics as treatment and persistence of inflammation are poorly understood.
Partially supported by FCT (HMSP-IDSIM/SIM/0018/2009)
- © 2011 ERS
