Social Impact Of Asthma Needs Treating Too, Warns Study, UK

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 28 Feb 2008 - 2:00 PST

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Children suffering from asthma should be treated holistically to improve the quality of their everyday lives and school attendance rates, according to a University of Salford academic.

Lecturer and former nurse, Karen Iley from the University's School of Nursing believes social factors surrounding asthma sufferers should be taken into account when treating the illness - as well as their medical symptoms.

During her research into the impact of asthma on children's lives, Karen investigated popular stereotypes of the illness, including the historically negative, and often inaccurate, view that children suffering from asthma are 'weak and fragile'.

She also looked at the role of school staff in responding to and managing asthma in school children - finding evidence that more support for teachers and help in developing relevant policies could enhance asthma management within schools.

Karen said: "There are cases of children and teenagers with asthma being labelled by school staff. Sometimes they're considered to be faking their illness or seen as being 'mollycoddled' by their mothers.

"This is an important area to consider, as educational programmes for self-management are known to provide a feeling of control in young people and could reduce absences from school."

Karen added: "Asthma is one of the most common childhood diseases. In the UK, there are 1.1m children living with asthma, and the rates are rising.

"I've brought together research and studies that focus more on social issues. My work is aimed at practitioners rather than academics and, hopefully, the information in it will help them to offer better support to children and young people in managing their asthma."

The School of Nursing at Salford
University of Salford