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Empowering Asthma Patients by Improving Their Self Efficacy: Identifying Potential Drivers of Self Efficacy

*Tasneem Zaihra, McGill University 

Keywords: Health Related Quality of Life, Health Status, Self-Efficacy, Asthma Control

Background: Training individuals with chronic disease such as asthma focus primarily on improving their physical functionality.Less attention has been paid to mental functions such as self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, defined as a judgment of one¡¯s ability to organize and execute given types of performances is considered as important as physical ability in influencing decisions to engage in various activities. Identifying potential drivers of self-efficacy provides a strong rationale for evaluating and targeting self-efficacy in long term asthma control.

Objective: To estimate the extent to which patient reported outcomes (PROs) such as Asthma related quality of life (MAQLQ score), beliefs about medications (BMQ score), perceived health state (EQ9) as well as the predictors based on the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) model for empowerment, such as socio demographic characteristics {Gender, Socio Economic Status (SES), employment status (ES), social support (marital status)} and other clinical variables, such as, mental health (neurotic disorder as obtained from ICD9 code) predict perceived self-efficacy over a period of one year in a populations of asthma patients in primary care.

Design & Methods: The current study is a secondary analysis of data from an observational study that examined health outcomes of asthma among participants recruited from primary care clinics at two different time points which were one year apart. The patients completed the following questionnaires at both the time points: Asthma Control Test Scale (ACT), Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (M-AQLQ), Asthma Self Efficacy scale (ASES), and the EQ-5D visual analog scale of perceived health status (EQ). Path analysis, based on the Wilson & Cleary and ICF models and/or regression models , were used to estimate the predictors of self efficacy.

Conclusion: Identifying key predictors of slef-efficacy will help the care team tailor patient specific interventions that will allow individuals to optimally manage their asthma, to prevent exacerbation, to prevent other respiratory-related chronic disease, and to maximize quality of life.