Effect of Family Empowerment Education on Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life of Children With Asthma and Their Parents in Tunisia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

PurposePatient education is fundamental in asthma management, especially at pediatric age. It is increasingly recognized as effective in reducing the burden of the disease, but is less clear in improving the quality of life of children with asthma and their parents. This study assessed the effect of an asthma therapeutic education program on pulmonary function and quality of life in children with asthma and their parents. Design and methodsA monocentric randomized controlled trial conducted in Farhat Hached University Hospital of Sousse (Tunisia) from May 2018 to September 2019. Thirty-seven families in the experimental group and 39 families in the control group received allocated intervention at baseline. Thirty-four families in each group completed the study at the 12-month follow-up. ResultsThe intervention significantly improved quality of life scores of children and their parents (all p < 0.05). Children in the experimental group had significantly better forced expiratory maneuver than children in the control group. Nonetheless, the FEV1/FVC ratio did not show any significant difference in the experimental and control group (p = 0.9; p = 0.14, respectively). ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that a long-term family-based asthma education program resulted in better pulmonary function and QOL of children and parents enrolled in the intervention group, particularly children with non-allergic asthma. Practice implicationsFamily-based asthma education can reduce the burden of allergic and non-allergic asthma on children and their parents through improving their quality of life. Also, the pulmonary function of children with non-allergic asthma was improved due to My Asthma Therapeutic Education intervention.