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Asthma control and management among schoolchildren in urban Uganda: results from a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Background: Children from low- and middle-income countries have poor asthma control, mainly because of poor management. The extent of this problem in Uganda is not well known, but such information would be useful to guide policy and practice. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional study among schoolchildren with asthma in urban Uganda, to assess the level of asthma control and management. Methods: Schoolchildren aged 5-17 years were enrolled, asthma was diagnosed by the study medical team. Asthma control was assessed using the Asthma Control Test and the childhood Asthma Control Test. Data on previous asthma management was obtained using interviewer-led questionnaires. Data were analysed using multiple linear and multiple logistic regression. Results: We enrolled 561 children with asthma, of whom only 56% had ever had an asthma diagnosis. We categorised asthma as well-controlled (55.5%), partly-controlled (29.5%) and poorly-controlled (15.0%). Poor asthma control was associated with increasing age (adjusted regression coefficient [95% confidence interval], p-value: -1.07 [-1.20, -0.94], p<0.0001), concurrent allergic rhinitis (-1.33 [-2.28, -0.38], p=0.006), and city residence in early life (-1.99 [-3.69, -0.29], p=0.06). Regular use of inhaled asthma medication in the last 12 months was very low; 18.1% for salbutamol and 6.7% for inhaled corticosteroids. The main barriers to inhaled asthma medication use were lack of prescription (47.6%) and inaccurate diagnosis (38.8%). Increased inhaler use was associated with tertiary education of the fathers (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], p-value: 5.19 [2.39-11.28], p<0.0001), city residence in early life (4.66 [1.79-12.43], 0.002) and an asthma diagnosis prior to enrolment (11.39 [6.35-20.43], p<0.0001). Conclusions: This study confirms that children with asthma in Uganda generally have inadequate asthma control, which is attributable to poor asthma management. This could be improved through re-training of medical workers and patient education, and by increasing availability and affordability of essential asthma medications.

SUBMITTER: Mpairwe H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7327727 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Asthma control and management among schoolchildren in urban Uganda: results from a cross-sectional study.

Mpairwe Harriet H Tumwesige Pius P Namutebi Milly M Nnaluwooza Marble M Katongole Tonny T Tumusiime Josephine J Apule Barbara B Onen Caroline C Mukasa Mike M Kahwa Joseph J Webb Emily L EL Pearce Neil N Elliott Alison M AM

Wellcome open research 20191105

<b>Background</b>: Children from low- and middle-income countries have poor asthma control, mainly because of poor management. The extent of this problem in Uganda is not well known, but such information would be useful to guide policy and practice. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional study among schoolchildren with asthma in urban Uganda, to assess the level of asthma control and management. <b>Methods</b>: Schoolchildren aged 5-17 years were enrolled, asthma was diagnosed by the study med ...[more]

PMID: 32656365

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Project description:BackgroundAdverse psychosocial working conditions-in particular poor job decision latitude and poor social support at work-may impair the effective implementation of asthma self-management behaviour at work and may be associated with increased asthma morbidity. In this study, we investigate for the first time the association of job decision latitude and social support at work with (1) four asthma-specific self-management behaviours at work (i.e., physical activity, trigger avoidance, acute symptom management, and communication) and with (2) asthma morbidity.MethodsA total of 221 employees with asthma recruited through three rehabilitation clinics completed questionnaires (response rate = 29.3%). Job decision latitude and social support were measured using items from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. The four asthma self-management behaviours were mainly assessed by self-developed items. We used the Asthma Control Test and the Marks Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire to measure asthma morbidity. We dichotomized all variables and conducted logistic regression analyses to calculate odds ratios with 95% CIs.ResultsLow job decision latitude and low social support were significantly associated with poorer trigger avoidance (odds ratios ≥ 2.09) and poorer acute symptom management (odds ratios ≥ 2.29); low social support was further related to significantly less communication (odds ratio = 2.82). Low job decision latitude and low social support were also associated with significantly poorer asthma control (odds ratios ≥ 1.95) and poorer asthma-specific quality of life (odds ratios ≥ 2.05). The relationships with asthma morbidity were attenuated after adjustment for the four asthma self-management behaviours (odds ratios ranging from 1.1 to 1.9).ConclusionsAdverse psychosocial working conditions are associated with poorer asthma self-management behaviour at work and with increased asthma morbidity. The latter association may be mediated by asthma self-management behaviour.Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, registration number: DRK S00011309, date of registration: 22.12.2016.

Project description:BackgroundAsthma is the most common chronic childhood illness, with rapidly increasing prevalence in low-income countries. Among young children, asthma is often under-diagnosed.We investigated the factors associated with asthma among under-fives presenting with acute respiratory symptoms at Mulago hospital, Uganda.MethodsA hospital-based cross sectional study of 614 children with cough and/or difficult breathing, and fast breathing, was conducted between August 2011 and June 2012. A questionnaire focusing on clinical history of the child was administered to the caretakers. A physical examination and, laboratory and radiological investigations were done. Asthma was defined according to GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) guidelines which were modified by excluding the symptom of "chest tightness", spirometry/peak expiratory flow measurements and by adding chest x-ray findings to distinguish asthma from pneumonia. A panel of three paediatricians reviewed the participants' case reports and, guided by the study definitions, made a diagnosis of asthma or other. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to determine factors independently associated with asthma.ResultsOf the 614 children, 128 (20.8%) had asthma, 125 (20.4%) bronchiolitis, 167 (27.2%) bacterial pneumonia only, 163 (26.5%) viral pneumonia while 31 (5.1%) had other diagnoses including pulmonary tuberculosis. The majority (71.1%) of children with asthma were aged ≥ 12 months. Factors associated with asthma included maternal asthma (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2, 4.6), a history of allergy in the patient (AOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2, 5.4,), use of gas for cooking (AOR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2, 13.3), prematurity (AOR 9.3, 95% CI 1.2, 83.3) and high level of education of caretaker (AOR 9.1, 95% CI 1.1, 72.8).ConclusionMaternal asthma, a history of allergy in the patient, use of gas for cooking, prematurity and high level of education of caretaker were significantly associated with asthma. There is need for studies to explore the role of the above factors in development and exacerbation of childhood asthma to provide information that can be used to design strategies for asthma prevention and control.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The coexistence of undernutrition (thinness) and overnutrition (overweight/obesity) among children and adolescents is a public health concern in low-middle-income countries. Accurate prevalence estimates of thinness and overweight/obesity among children and adolescents are unavailable in many low-middle-income countries due to lack of data. Here we describe the prevalences and examine correlates of objectively measured weight status among urban and rural schoolchildren in Mozambique. METHODS:A cross-sectional study design was applied to recruit 9-11-year-old schoolchildren (n = 683) from 17 urban and rural primary schools in Mozambique. Body mass index (BMI) was computed from objectively measured height and weight and participants' weight categories were determined using the World Health Organization cut-points. Actigraph GT3X + accelerometers were worn 24 hours per day for 7 days to assess movement behaviours. Multilevel multivariable modelling was conducted to estimate odds ratios and confidence intervals. RESULTS:Combined prevalence of overweight/obesity (11.4%) was significantly higher among urban participants compared to rural participants (5.7%; χ2 = 7.1; p = 0.008). Conversely, thinness was more prevalent among rural (6.3%) compared to urban (4.2%) participants. Passive school commute, not meeting daily moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) guidelines, and maternal BMI >25 kg/m2 were associated with overweight/obesity while possessing one or more functional cars at home, maternal BMI >25 kg/m2 and being an older participant were associated with thinness in the present sample. The proportion of total variance in the prevalences of obesity and/or thinness occurring at the school level was 8.7% and 8.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION:Prevalences of thinness, overweight/obesity and other key variables differ between urban and rural schoolchildren in Mozambique. MVPA, active transport and mother's BMI are important modifiable correlates of weight status among Mozambican schoolchildren. Results from this study demonstrate important differences between urban and rural schoolchildren that should not be ignored when designing interventions to manage malnutrition, formulating public health strategies, and interpreting findings.

Project description:Microbial contamination of hospital environment, especially in operating theatres (OT) and other specialized units has greatly contributed to continuous and multiple exposure to nosocomial infections by patients and the public. We purposed to assess microbial contamination of operating theatres and antibacterial sensitivity pattern of bacteria isolated from theatres of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, Eastern Uganda.We employed a laboratory based cross-sectional study design. Swabbing of different surfaces and settle plate establishment in 4 various operating theatres was carried out. A total of 109 samples were collected, 31 air samples and 78 swabs from four operating theatres. Samples were collected in the mornings after disinfection prior to start of daily operations. Antibacterial sensitivity testing of isolated bacterial pathogens was performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method following standard operating procedure. Colony counts for the settle plates were carried out using a colony counter.All the four theatres had their mean colony counts exceeding the acceptable limit of 5 cfu/dm2/h. Gynaecology theatre had up to 261 cfu/dm2/h and Ophthalmology operating theatre had approximately 43 cfu/dm2/h. A total of 14 different organisms were isolated with Pseudomonas spp. [23.9%]; Bacillus spp. [17.5%] and Aspergillus spp. [15.8%] being the most common contaminants respectively. Other isolates included Enterococcus spp., Rhizopus spp. and Coagulate Negative Staphylococcus isolates especially from settle plates. Most bacterial isolates showed considerable resistance to antibacterial agents. Pseudomonas spp. was resistant to chloramphenicol (53.6%) and cotrimoxazole (57.1%). Most of the bacterial pathogens were sensitive to imipenem [83.3%].There is moderate contamination of operating theatres of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. Common organisms were Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Aspergillus spps. Resistance was observed against chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole. More caution is necessary to carefully disinfect the operating theatres at Regional referral settings and similar tertiary health care centres with more emphasis on obstetrics and gynecology theatres. Diagnosis and care of patients at such clinical settings should consider the possibility of antibiotic resistance.

Project description:A comprehensive understanding of the barriers to and facilitators of poor tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcome is still lacking; posing a major obstacle to finding effective solutions. Assessment of patient satisfaction in TB programs would contribute to the understanding of gaps in healthcare delivery and the specific needs of individual patients. However, tools for assessing patient satisfaction are lacking.To establish patient satisfaction, the feasibility and reliability of a questionnaire for healthcare service satisfaction and a questionnaire for satisfaction with information received about TB medicines among adult TB patients attending public and private program clinics in Kampala, Uganda.In a cross-sectional study, we recruited 133 patients of known HIV status and confirmed pulmonary TB receiving care at the public and private hospitals in Kampala, Uganda. Participants were enrolled based on length of TB treatment as follows: starting therapy, completed two months of therapy, and completed eight months of therapy. A translated and standardized 13-item patient healthcare service satisfaction questionnaire (PS-13) and the Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS) tool were administered by trained interviewers. Factor analysis was used to systematically group the PS-13 questionnaire into three factors of technical quality of care, responsiveness to patient preference, and management of patient preference satisfaction subscales. The SIMS tool was analyzed with two subscales of information about the action and usage of medication and the potential problems with medication.Of the 133 participants, 35% (46/133) were starting, 33% (44/133) had completed two months, and 32% (43/133) had completed eight months of TB therapy. The male to female and public to private hospital ratios in the study population were 1:1. The PS-13 and the SIMS tools were highly acceptable and easily administered. Both scales and the subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha above 0.70. Patients that were enrolled at the public hospital had relatively lower PS-13 satisfaction scores (0.48 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42 - 0.52)), (0.86 (95% CI, 0.81 - 0.90)) for technical quality of care and responsiveness to patient preferences, respectively compared to patients that were enrolled at the private hospital. For potential problems SIMS subscale, male patients that were recruited at the public hospital had relatively lower satisfaction scores (0.58 (95% CI, 0.40 - 0.86)) compared to female patients after adjusting for other factors. Similarly, patients that had completed eight months of TB treatment had relatively higher satisfaction scores (1.23 (95% CI, 1.06 - 1.44)) for action and usage SIMS subscale, and higher satisfaction scores (1.09 (95% CI, 1.03 - 1.16)) for management of patient preference (PS-13 satisfaction subscale) compared to patients that were starting treatment, respectively.The study provides preliminary evidence that the PS-13 service satisfaction and the SIMS tools are reliable measures of patient satisfaction in TB programs. Satisfaction score findings suggest differences in patient satisfaction levels between public and private hospitals; between patients starting and those completing TB therapy.

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Asthma control and management among schoolchildren in urban Uganda: results from a cross-sectional study.

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Asthma control and management among schoolchildren in urban Uganda: results from a cross-sectional study.

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