Socio-demographic and environmental factors impacting asthma exacerbations in children in Taif city, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways resulting in episodic reversible obstruction of the airways leading to breathlessness, tightness, chest, cough and wheezing. Children with bronchial Asthma lifestyles are disrupted to various extents based on bronchial Asthma severity. School-aged children with asthma experience more hospitalizations, more school absenteeism, academic underachievement, decreased overall activity, and disruption of family functioning compared to healthy classmates. The incidence of asthma has increased considerably in the last few years. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the role of associated sociodemographic and environmental risk factors in the severity of school-aged children's asthma in Taif, Saudi Arabia, for providing care to a child. Methodology: In a case-control cross-sectional study, the incidence and severity of asthma symptoms were carried out through well-designed questionnaires distributed during the period from April to May 2023 according to 11 standardized methods of population-based survey protocols. Results: The incidence frequency of bronchial asthma was (51.09%). The highest incidence rate of asthma was reported among the age group of 8-10 having a percentage of 36% followed by the age group of 10-12 (33.5%) and the age group 6-8 (30.5%) having the lowest incidence rate of asthma. Allergens and weather conditions were the most prevalent factors triggering severe and exacerbating childhood bronchial Asthma attacks. Conclusion Pediatric Asthma is one of the most common chronic pediatric chest inflammatory disorders. Consistently children with Asthma have lower life quality. Children with asthma can live safely after narrowing these factors. Physicians must promote to patients the necessary knowledge and care for effective self-management of the disease process and improve life quality. These results offer sufficient information regarding the incidence rate and severity of asthma symptoms, asthma management, and related risk factors for Saudi Arabian health authorities to scale up surveillance initiatives, control, and high-impact treatments.