Factors that Affect Adherence with Long-Term Controller Medications Used to Manage Asthma in Children

Problem: Asthma affects one out of every ten children in the United States. It is recommended that children with persistent asthma take long-term controller (LTC) medications to achieve control. However, adherence varies, and many children do not take their LTC medication at all. The average cost for hospitalization of a child with asthma is $8,406. Asthma in children also contributes to school absenteeism and a decrease in quality of life. Objective: A literature review was performed to examine factors that affect adherence to LTC medications used to control asthma in children. Method: A literature review was performed using the CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, Psych Info, and Academic Search Premier databases. Keywords included asthma AND child* OR pediatric* AND adherence OR compliance AND corticosteroid* OR “leukotriene modifier*” OR “mast cell stabilizer*” OR “monoclonal antibod*” OR “long-acting beta agonist.*” After applying exclusion criteria 35 articles were included in this review. Results: A variety of factors that affect adherence were identified. Internal factors included age, sex, and race/ethnicity. External factors included socioeconomic status, environment, health perception, lack of motivation, parental education, disease/medication beliefs, family dynamics and planning, responsibility, severity, and exacerbations. Interventional factors included caregiver-family communication, asthma knowledge, specialty care, white coat adherence, number of prescriptions, asthma action plans, medication regimens, and technology. Conclusion: It is recommended that healthcare providers use a four-step process during inpatient and outpatient asthma visits. The steps include assess and educate, collaborate, problem-solve, and follow-up. Collectively, this method can help healthcare providers overcome many of the barriers that were identified