Effect of web-based asthma self-care program on school students’ quality of life in rural community

Abstract

Background Asthma is a pressing worldwide public health challenge and the foremost chronic disease observed in school-aged children. It constitutes a considerable social and economic burden and poses a substantial threat to the health-related quality of life of affected children. The attainment of sufficient knowledge and appropriate skills are fundamental requirements for effectively managing the potential hazards of asthma symptoms and administering optimal therapeutic interventions. Aim To appraise the effect of web-based asthma self-care program on high school students’ knowledge, the practice of inhaler technique, and the quality of life in Minia rural community. Methods A quasi-experimental design was utilized in this study. Sample The study was carried out on a purposive sample of 93 students suffering from bronchial asthma. Setting The study was conducted at governmental high school located in 4 rural sectors in Minia governorate. Tools Four tools were utilized for data gathering as follows: a structured interviewing questionnaire, including students’ demographic characteristics and past medical history; asthma knowledge questionnaire; the students’ reported practices checklist toward inhaler technique; and the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ). Results Reveals that 50.0% of participants who had insufficient knowledge had improper practice related to inhaler technique, compared to 88.3% of participants who had sufficient knowledge related to asthma disease had proper practices related to inhaler technique post-intervention, with a highly statistically significant difference between the students’ knowledge and practice postweb-based asthma self-care program, P≤0.001. And alsoshowed highly statistically significant improvements in students’knowledge, practices regarding using of powder inhaler, and metered dose inhaler, and overall quality of life after program implementation. Conclusion The web-based asthma self-care program successfully improved the student’s knowledge, the practice of inhaler technique, and quality of life postprogram implementation compared to pre-program as it has provided accessible methods for education and assistance for students with asthma, targeting their unique needs and empowering them to manage their condition, leading to better health outcomes. Recommendations Conducting web-based asthma self-care program focusing on increase the awareness of students regard to trusted websites focusing on asthma, coupled with targeted efforts aimed at providing periodic supervision for school students to follow up on them to prevent complications; and replicating the developed program in a randomized clinical trial to confirm the findings.