A Studyof Effect of the Socioeconomic Status on Asthma Management in Children in South India

Effect of the Socioeconomic Status on Asthma Management in Children in South India

Abstract

Background: Asthma is a chronic and potentially seriousconditionwith most children developingit at an early age. Every decade globally the prevalenceis increasing by 50%. Long term management focuses on preventingacute exacerbations, emergency attendances, hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality. Control of asthma is achieved by long term inhalers and bypreventing therisk factors.Various risk factors influence the variation in prevalenceand the long term outcome.Socioeconomic status(SES) is considered a major risk factor and is linked to various health outcomes especially in chronic diseases.Aim: To study the effect of SES on long term management of childhoodasthma.Subjects and Methods: 500 parents of children attending the asthma outpatient clinic in a medical college were interviewed.Results: Based on the Revised Kuppuswamys SES scale it was noted that 1.4% were upper class,33.6% upper middle,47%lower middle, 18%lower class. Our data revealed that parents from lower SES are unaware of diagnosis (0%), are reluctant to accept diagnosis (26.6%), reluctant to start inhalers (84.4%) in comparison to upper and middle classes.Conclusion: Failure to diagnose asthma, lack of awareness of disease, poor understanding of the chronicity, and failure to initiate early inhaler therapy and poor adherence to inhalers was significantly noted in children from low socioeconomic background and this can adversely affect the long term outcome.