Quality of Life Questionnaires for Children With Bronchial Asthma at Jordan University Hospital: An Observational Study

Background: Asthma is a common chronic illness worldwide. Identifying and treating impaired health-related quality of life, is now recognized as an important component of asthma management. A high prevalence of behavioral and emotional difficulties was noticed among children with asthma. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted over 8 weeks involving 45 asthmatic children, between the ages of 7-17 years old, presented to Jordan University Hospital in Amman, Jordan. General demographic characteristics were collected, and two questionnaires were used: asthma control test (ACT), and the pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ). We also used the feeling thermometer scale, and a pulmonary function test was done for patients. SAS Software version 9.4 USA and Pearsons coefficient were used to find associations. Results: Among 45 patients, 53% of the sample had poor asthma control. The mean FEV1 on lung function testing was 80% (+/- 16.18) of predicted. The mean for clinical asthma scores (ACT) was 18.8 +/- 4.53 (out of 25). FEV1 was significantly higher in children with good control compared to those with a low ACT score (P-value <0.05). The mean total PAQLQ score was 5.3 +/- 1.06 and it correlated significantly with ACT score (P-value <0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the association of poorly controlled asthma with a poor quality of life. It is recommended that the quality of life of children should be assessed and observed during clinic visits, for a better comprehensive approach and effective improvement of outcome.