Abstract
BackgroundThis study examined whether the comic book Neta and the Medikidz Explain JIA would improve disease-related knowledge and treatment adherence among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, JIA patients answered 20 multiple-choice knowledge questions about their disease, before and after reading the comic book. Demographic, clinical, health-related quality of life and adherence data were recorded and correlated to the responses.ResultsWe studied 61 patients with a mean age of 14 ± 3.3 (range 8–18) years, 67% female, 83% Jewish and 17% non-Jewish. Thirty-nine percent had oligoarthritis, 13% systemic, 32% polyarthritis 11% psoriatic and 5% enthesitis-related type JIA. The disease was active in 46%, 40% were treated with biologics/disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and 34% were in remission on medication. Among the 53 patients who completed before and after quizzes, average score increased from 63 to 80% (P < 0.001). Non-Jewish patients initially scored lower than Jewish patients (48%), but their score increased to 79% after reading the comic book. Twenty-seven patients who also completed the quiz 1 year after the first reading retained their knowledge (79%). We did not find a statistically significant correlation between knowledge and age, sex, disease subtype, or Child Health Questionnaire quality of life scores. Adherence to medication use, physical therapy and rheumatology clinic visits were high at baseline; thus, these did not change after reading the comic.ConclusionsThe comic booklet Neta and the Medikidz Explain JIA is a good educational tool for increasing disease-related knowledge in children with JIA.
Highlights
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the leading chronic rheumatic disease of childhood and may cause short and long-term morbidity [1, 2]
A total of 61children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) answered the quiz before reading the comic book
The results of this study indicate that knowledge regarding JIA increased significantly after reading the comic book Neta and the Medikidz explain JIA among children who have this disease
Summary
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the leading chronic rheumatic disease of childhood and may cause short and long-term morbidity [1, 2]. Several factors can affect adherence to treatment, including developmental aspects such as age, cognitive and emotional elements, fear, guilt, low self-esteem and family-related factors. Medical issues such as type and severity of the disease, treatment regimen, and interactions between the patient and the physician are . Comics promote discussion in many subject areas, including philosophy and political revolutions [9] They have been used in medicine to demonstrate disease narratives and to serve as a tool for learning about diseases, feelings, emotions, and environmental experiences [10]. This study examined whether the comic book Neta and the Medikidz Explain JIA would improve disease-related knowledge and treatment adherence among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
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