Cultural Beliefs Affect Parents' Views Of Children's Asthma, Treatment

Parents' cultural beliefs influence how they view their children'sasthma and its treatment, according to a U.K. study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, Reuters Healthreports. The study looked at a survey of the parents of 150 childrentreated at asthma clinics in London. Of the survey population, 41parents had a South Asian background, 42 were from other ethnic groupsincluding black Caribbean and black African, while the remainder ofparents were white.

Previous research in the U.K. has shownthat black and South Asian children are more likely than white childrento visit the emergency department or be hospitalized for severe asthmaattacks. According to Reuters Health, there are similar disparities in other countries, such as the U.S.

The study found that:

• South Asian parents were less likely than white parents to give their children treatment for asthma;
• South Asian parents also were more likely to believe that asthma medications are addictive and could do "more harm than good";
• BothSouth Asian and black parents were more reluctant than white parents totell friends and family about their child's asthma, a finding thatsuggests some parents might feel a social stigma attached to asthma;
• South Asian parents were more likely to believe their child's asthma would "get better"; and
• Otherminority parents were more likely than whites to believe that theirchild's asthma was out of their control and that "faith was moreimportant."

The study researchers said that doctorsshould be aware of the cultural beliefs some have about asthma and itstreatment. Lead researcher Nigel Smeeton of King's College Londonand colleagues developed a pamphlet explaining asthma treatment fordoctors to give to parents. The pamphlet is available in Punjabi(Norton, Reuters Health, 12/7).

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