Impact of Educational Program regarding Bronchial Asthma of Children on Caregivers' Knowledge and Practices

Background: Asthma is a long-term respiratory inflammatory disease characterized by chronic lung inflammation, which affects up to 18% of people worldwide. Asthma affects all age groups and is a lifetime condition. Aim: to evaluate the impact of educational program regarding bronchial asthma of children on caregivers' knowledge and practices. Design: Quasi-experimental research design (pre-posttest) was used in the current study. Setting: The current study was conducted in the outpatient chest clinic at Minia University Hospital for Gynecology, Obstetrics and pediatrics located in Minia city. Subjects: A Purposive sample of 60 caregivers of children with bronchial asthma was participated in the study. Tools: Tool (I): Structured interview questionnaire, classified into 5 parts, Part (1): Socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers, Part (2): Socio-demographic characteristics of children, Part (3): Past medical data of child, Part (4): Current medical data of child, Part (5): Caregivers' knowledge regarding bronchial asthma of children and Tool (II): Reported practices of the caregivers and their children regarding bronchial asthma. The time of beginning of data collection from first October 2023 to the end of March, 2024. Results: It was found that all caregivers had satisfactory level of knowledge and practices in post –program compared to less than one quarter pre-program Conclusion: The study concluded that the educational program for caregivers and children with bronchial asthma was effective by means of marked improvement of knowledge and practices. Recommendation: The study recommended that regular asthma education should be integrated into pediatric care services to improve caregivers’ knowledge and practices.