Cultural barriers to asthma management

Abstract

This article reviews published evidence which addresses the relevance of cultural factors in the delivery of health services for asthma patients. In addition, it suggests a framework within which further research could be carried out to advance our knowledge on this topic. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1999; 28:297–300. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The validity of the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice

“…In Greece bronchiectasis is common in older subjects because of the high prevalence of tuberculosis in the past. 20 A significant number of our patients (33.8%) demonstrated post-bronchodilator reversibility equal to or greater than 15%. This finding alone is not important in the differential diagnosis of asthma from COPD if the FEV 1 /FVC ratio remains low after bronchodilation.…”

Prevalence of rhinitis among 6 and 7-year old students in Fortaleza

“…depends on having been diagnosed with rhinitis, understanding it and having a recollection of it, and may be influenced by cultural factors that can affect the perception of symptoms, access to services, formulation of diagnoses, understanding of an illness and its treatment, since the morbidity/severity of symptoms also influences this response. 16,22,23 Furthermore, since the symptoms are quite bearable by patients, the illness is usually highly underestimated by physicians, patients and family members. 23,24 Therefore, we observed, in this study, that there was less parental awareness, with respect to the diagnosis of rhinitis, among those whose children had milder symptoms, with little or no hindrance of daily activities.…”

The Impact of Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Status on Asthma Disparities

“…Health literacy alone was able to account for differences in emergency department use, but differences in hospitalization rates between African Americans and Whites remained in our models. Rather than this being an indication of differing disease severity, one explanation for why racial differences persisted could relate to cultural beliefs about the disease and its treatment and/or perceptions of trust in patterns of accessing and using the healthcare system (2, 34, 35). African American adults have expressed an increased fear of adverse effects and doubts in benefits of corticosteroids and mistake asthma to be an acute condition rather than a chronic disease, seeking treatment only when symptoms occur (36, 37).…”