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Is Parent Education Tool Effective in Improving Awareness among Parents of a Wheezing Child? A Pre-Experimental Study

BACKGROUND Asthma is a common chronic disease in childhood. Globally, more than 339 million people are estimated to have asthma. The prevalence of childhood asthma in India is about 6 %. Even though childhood asthma is highly prevalent, the knowledge level among parents / caregivers about the disease, its risk factors, prevention and management is poor. Currently, in India there are no national or state level bodies to provide relevant information about the disease. The rationale of this study is to create a parent education tool that will provide the necessary details about the disease and to check the effectiveness by assessing the improvement in knowledge about childhood asthma among parents of wheezers after implementation of this self-prepared educational tool through a structured teaching programme. METHODS A pre-test post-test pre-experimental study was conducted among parents of children admitted to paediatric ward and intensive care unit of a tertiary care centre in North Kerala. A self-prepared questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of parents before intervention. Intervention was done using an educational tool prepared by the researcher with the aid of power point presentation and hands on training on technique of using metered dose inhaler. Effectiveness of the tool was assessed after 10 days of intervention using the same questionnaire. Statistical analysis of collected data was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. RESULTS 51 parents were included in the study. The scoring of questionnaire before and after educational intervention was done as poor (< 10 score), average (11 - 20 score) and good (21 - 31 score). The mean score before intervention was 9.98 (SD = 3.14) and after intervention the score became 17.73 (SD = 2.562), and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.00). Mean score of the knowledge regarding treatment and prevention of asthma improved to 10.18 (SD = 2.133) from 4.29 (SD = 2.212). CONCLUSIONS A well-developed parent education tool is a requirement for minor adjustments needed in the lifestyle of a child with asthma, which ensures proper prevention and treatment. KEYWORDS Childhood Asthma, Wheezing Child, Parent Education, Asthma Education Tool, Asthma Awareness