Asthma in the pediatric population: Level of perception among the parents and guardians

Background: Asthma in the child population is one of the leading public health problems that accounts for immense hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality throughout the world with no exception of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. Reports in the literature emphasize on family management of this dreadful disease among the children. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of parents/guardians about childhood asthma. Materials and Methods: Likert scale questionnaire consisting of 90 questions was served to the parents/ guardians of asthmatic children. The questionnaire scores were correlated with the number of emergency department (ED) visits by asthmatic children (r = −0.239, P =0.046). Results: Our results showed a negative correlation between ED visits by asthmatic children and their parents/guardians’ knowledge of the disease. Conclusion: Although there is a trend between the ED visits by asthmatic children and the level of parents/guardians’ awareness, our results are not conclusive, hence; further studies with a larger sample size are recommended.