Perceptions of Medical Compliance in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis

The Importance of Adherence and Compliance with Treatment in Cystic Fibrosis

“…Our study found a statistically significant difference both in terms of the average age of each patient group, (compliant at 10.4 years and non-compliant at 20.5 years) and the time of the evolution of the disease (compliant at 9.5 years and non-compliant at 16.8 years). The fact that adherence to treatment tends to diminish with age has also been mentioned in the earlier studies (Conway et al, 1996;Gudas et al, 1991). In childhood, a high level of compliance is frequently observed, which is probably explained due to the fact that during this period of life the responsibility lies with the parents (Battistini et al, 1998;Foster et al, 2001).…”

“…However, the severity of the disease has often been evaluated as a possible predictor of adherence in CF cases with conflicting results (Abbott et al, 1994(Abbott et al, , 1996(Abbott et al, , 2001Conway et al, 1996;Gudas et al, 1991;Kettler et al, 2002).…”

“…Younger children show greater compliance, perhaps because during this time the responsibility for treatment lies with their parents. However, later on during adolescence, adherence decreases when the patient takes responsibility for their own treatment (Bucks et al, 2009;Dziuban et al, 2010;Gudas et al, 1991;Zindani et al, 2006).…”

“…Demographic factors such as sex, level of educational, knowledge of the disease, socioeconomic status and occupation, and clinical factors such as the age of diagnosis and the frequency of clinical visits, have all been evaluated as possible predictors of adherence in CF cases, and have met with conflicting results (Abbott et al, 1994(Abbott et al, , 1996(Abbott et al, , 2001Dziuban et al, 2010;Gudas et al, 1991;Oerman et al, 2000).…”

The Physiotherapist's Use of Exercise in the Management of Young People with Cystic Fibrosis

“…As children progress into adolescence, the desire to have more control over their lives and a tendency to rebel against authority often result in problems with adherence (Gudas et al, 1991). While strategies to improve adherence in adolescents with CF are integral, it is critical to instill knowledge about exercise during early childhood to enhance adherence into later life stages (Bernard and Cohen, 2004).…”