Magnitude and Factors Associated With Uncontrolled Asthma Among Patients at Government Hospitals Follow-Up Clinic in Harar and Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Uncontrolled asthma adds to the burden of non-communicable diseases. The studies on the level of asthma control in Ethiopia are confined to some specific geographical areas, didn’t assess trigger related factors and factors associated with partially and poorly controlled asthma separately and done with small sample sizes. The purpose of this study is to assess the magnitude and factors associated with uncontrolled asthma among patients at government hospitals follow-up clinic in Harar and Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on selected 509 adult asthmatic patients on follow up at 6 government hospitals in Harar and Dire Dawa cities from February 21- April 20, 2020. Multinomial logistic regression has been used to identify factors associated with uncontrolled asthma and the result was presented using COR and AOR with their corresponding 95% confidence interval. Result: The magnitude of uncontrolled (poorly controlled and partially controlled) asthma was 420 (82.5%). Poor knowledge about asthma (AOR: 5.442; 95% CI (1.839-16.101)), negative attitude towards asthma (AOR=4.247; 95% CI (1.594-11.312)), non-adherence to medications (AOR=4.692; 95% CI (1.554-14.17)) and using the combination of Inhaled Corticosteroid (ICS) and Long Acting Beta2 Agonist (LABA) to control asthma (AOR=0.287; 95% CI (0.102-0.803)) were significantly associated with poorly controlled asthma. Average knowledge about asthma (AOR=3.918; 95% CI (1.276-12.03)) and using the combination of ICS and LABA (AOR=0.283; 95% CI (0.084-0.947)) were significantly associated with partially controlled asthma.Conclusion: This study indicated a higher magnitude of uncontrolled asthma. Poor and average knowledge about asthma, negative attitude towards asthma, non-adherence to medications, and using the combination of ICS and LABA to control asthma were associated with uncontrolled asthma. Health care providers, hospitals, health policymakers, and researchers should work on asthma control by different methods through enhancing patients' knowledge and attitude towards asthma.