Asthma affects nearly 6 million US children. Throughout childhood, children undergo a series of biological, developmental, and psychosocial changes. Thus, factors influencing a child’s asthma management differ across three essential stages-early childhood (0-5 years), school-aged years (5-12 years), and adolescence (12-18 years)-and require varied intervention by parents, school personnel, clinicians, and the children themselves. Since asthma care in children is characterized by fluctuations in severity and coordination among many stakeholders, optimal asthma control is difficult to achieve in this young population. Challenges in childhood asthma management are reflected in the low rates of children’s adherence to medication regimes. While pharmacological and biological factors addressing age in physicians’ treatment choices are well-outlined, age-specific approaches to patient-provider communication and asthma-related interventions are also important in improving quality of life for pediatric asthma patients.Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Asthma Across Childhood: Improving Adherence to Asthma Management from Early Childhood to Adolescence.
