Asthma control among adolescents in the inner provinces of South Africa: Perception v. reality

Abstract

Proper asthma control can lessen the negative effects of asthma in adolescents, such that they can lead a normal and physically active life. The study aimed to compare self-reported asthma control and actual test scores among adolescents in the inner provinces (Gauteng and North West) of South Africa. The asthma control test (ACT) questionnaire was administered to 123 of adolescents who had reported doctor-diagnosed asthma during the cross-sectional study. There was a statistically significant difference between self-reported asthma control and actual test scores among study participants (p=0.003). Out of the 90 study participants who claimed that their asthma was controlled, only 25 (27.78%) were correctly classified as ‘controlled’ according to the ACT. A high percentage (72.22%) of adolescents misclassified their asthma as ‘controlled’, whereas it was not. There is a lack of studies on asthma control in Africa.