Knowledge and Awareness of Symptoms, Triggers, and Treatment Among Older Adults With Asthma and/or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Asthma can be controlled through proper clinical and environmental management and education; however, public health and allied health professionals, such as respiratory therapists, have not typically been trained in environmental engineering and building safety concepts critical to addressing indoor environmental asthma and allergy triggers. The population is growing and aging: low- to middle-income seniors are working and living longer, and incidence and prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases continue increasing. The authors conducted a community-based participatory research pilot project with a cross-sectional repeated measures design in Visalia, California. This paper presents the study process, the impact of asthma and allergy on quality of life, and the environment- and health-related data collected via 3 baseline knowledge and awareness questionnaires and the technician walk-through survey on the home environment and asthma triggers. Participants were confirmed at baseline as having 1 or more physician-diagnosed respiratory diseases: asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Questionnaires were administered to recruited consenting participants meeting selection criteria (n, 34; convenience sample) at community locations. At baseline, 12 agreed to comprehensive home visits: 9 of whom completed first visits, of which 6 completed second visits. One baseline questionnaire was repeated at first seasonal home visits; 2 of 6 participants completed it again at second seasonal home visits. Participants completing home visits (eg, receiving education from local asthma coalition members) increased clinical asthma management knowledge and awareness. Results suggested areas for improvement in future asthma education initiatives targeting older adults living independently, regarding indoor environmental triggers and underlying safety and health conditions.