Learning from Parents of Children with Childhood Asthma

Abstract

Abstract Families of children with asthma have to shoulder immense burdens as part of care, and yet the social science literature on their experiences is not well developed or up-to-date. As part of a class project in Anthropology and Public Health, we interviewed eleven parents about their experiences with a chronically ill child and uncovered important themes about emotions, learning, assessments of risk, and control. We assert that asking parents about their experiences providing and monitoring and care can provide important data that could inform asthma management programs in the establishment of better support, education, and care.