Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in health-behaviors and quality of life (QOL) in Koreans with asthma. Methods: Participants, selected from the 2009 Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey VI, included 305 individuals (men = 128, women = 177) with asthma and over 19 years old. Health behaviors were measured by questions about disease management, health choices, and functional and psychological status. QOL was measured with the European Quality of Life-5D (EQ-5D). Results: In health behaviors, 51.3% of women and 37.7% of men suffered from wheezing at rest. About 41% of men and 10% of women were smokers. One half of the participants were not taking medication and this was not significantly different by gender. The number of women with symptoms of depression was significantly higher than men. The EQ-5D index score of women was significantly lower than that of men. Conclusion: Women with asthma were more likely to have psychological problems and discomfort than men. Understanding gender differences in asthma is important to the development of effective, tailored asthma management strategies to cope with symptoms and improve health behaviors and QOL for people with asthma.
Highlights
Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency
quality of life (QOL) was measured with the European Quality of Life-5D (EQ-5D)
Understanding gender differences in asthma is important to the development of effective, tailored asthma management strategies to cope with symptoms and improve health behaviors and QOL for people with asthma
Summary
Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency. The World Health Organization reported that 235 million people suffer from asthma across the world [1]. In 2007, 34 million people were diagnosed with asthma in the United States, and asthma accounted for 3447 deaths. After the age of 20, asthma death rates are higher among women than men in the United States [2]. Asthma impairs the quality of life (QOL) and physical and psychological health status such as depression, distress, or limited activities [4]. Koreans with asthma are likely to have similar health outcomes as patients in other countries. Previous studies report that Koreans with chronic obstructive lung disease engaged in poor health behaviors. The QOL of Koreans with asthma is lower than that of Koreans with chronic obstructive lung disease [6,7]
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