Is a low level of education a limiting factor for asthma control in a population with access to pulmonologists and to treatment?

• Main Authors: Cassia Caroline Emilio, Cintia Fernanda Bertagni Mingotti, Paula Regina Fiorin, Leydiane Araujo Lima, Raisa Lemos Muniz, Luis Henrique Bigotto, Evaldo Marchi, Eduardo Vieira Ponte
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia 2019-02-01
• Series: Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia
• Subjects: Asthma; Educational status; Spirometry; Treatment adherence and compliance
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-37132019000100204&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine whether a low level of education is a risk factor for uncontrolled asthma in a population of patients who have access to pulmonologists and to treatment. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving outpatients > 10 years of age diagnosed with asthma who were followed by a pulmonologist for at least 3 months in the city of Jundiai, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The patients completed a questionnaire specifically designed for this study, the 6-item Asthma Control Questionnaire (to assess the control of asthma symptoms), and a questionnaire designed to assess treatment adherence. Patients underwent spirometry, and patient inhaler technique was assessed. Results: 358 patients were enrolled in the study. Level of education was not considered a risk factor for uncontrolled asthma symptoms (OR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.94-1.05), spirometry findings consistent with obstructive lung disease (OR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.99-1.01), uncontrolled asthma (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.95-1.10), or the need for moderate/high doses of inhaled medication (OR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.94-1.06). The number of years of schooling was similar between the patients in whom treatment adherence was good and those in whom it was poor (p = 0.08), as well as between those who demonstrated proper inhaler technique and those who did not (p = 0.41). Conclusions: Among asthma patients with access to pulmonologists and to treatment, a low level of education does not appear to be a limiting factor for adequate asthma control.