INFLUENCE OF NONCONVENTIONAL FACTORS ON TREATMENT ADHERENCE, LEVEL OF CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of nonconventional factors on treatment adherence, the level of control of bronchial asthma and quality of life in children. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of anxiety, level of awareness about the disease, family conditions and living environment on the effectiveness of basic therapy in adolescents with bronchial asthma. The study included 147 children aged 13–17 years with asthma and their mothers. Russian-language versions of questionnaires assessing situational and personal anxiety, quality of life, disease control and treatment adherence, as well as an author-designed questionnaire evaluating the level of knowledge about bronchial asthma, were used. It was established that a high level of personal and situational anxiety in both the child and the mother, together with insufficient knowledge about the disease, was associated with low adherence to basic treatment. This was shown to have a negative effect on disease control and to reduce the quality of life of the affected child. The study also demonstrated the unfavourable influence of social factors, including passive smoking in the family and poor living conditions such as the absence of a separate room for the child, inadequate housing and an allergenic home environment. It was concluded that improving family awareness, reducing modifiable negative factors and optimising living conditions are important prerequisites for better control of bronchial asthma and improvement of quality of life in children.