Interest in public involvement, engagement and participation in research among patients with asthma: A secondary analysis of the EPI-ASTHMA study

Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP) is essential in asthma research due to the disease's complexity. However, information regarding the characteristics of patients with asthma interested in engaging in PPIEP initiatives is scarce. We aimed to identify factors associated with the interest in PPIEP among patients with asthma. This is a secondary analysis of the EPI-ASTHMA nationwide asthma prevalence study, which included adult patients with asthma recruited from 38 primary healthcare centres from mainland Portugal. Demographic and clinical characteristics as well as interest in PPIEP were collected. A multivariable logistic regression model was built to explore associations between participants' characteristics and PPIEP interest. A total of 502 participants with asthma (52 ± 15.9 years, 64.1% females) were analysed and 218 (43.4%) were interested in being involved in PPIEP. Having higher education (adjusted OR 2.29, 95%CI 1.47-3.57) and owning a smartphone (adjusted OR 4.63, 95%CI 2.51-8.55) were significantly associated with higher odds of being interested in PPIEP. Being female demonstrated a borderline significant association (adjusted OR 1.53, 95%CI 1.00-2.33). Participants experiencing higher quality of life were significantly associated with lower odds of being interested in PPIEP (adjusted OR 0.77, 95%CI 0.65-0.92). Two out of five patients with asthma were interested in participating in PPIEP initiatives. By understanding the characteristics of patients willing to participate in PPIEP, we can develop strategies to reach a wider audience and make PPIEP more inclusive. The identified associated factors need to be further investigated.