PERCEIVED CONTROL OF ASTHMA - DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE

Psychological factors can play a role in asthma symptoms and may play a role in how individuals manage asthma. Because poor self-management of asthma has been linked to poor outcomes, it is important to underst and perceived control of asthma-the individual's perceived ability to deal with asthma and its exacerbations effectively. This study used da ta from an ongoing panel study of adults with asthma (n = 601). The 11 -item Perceived Control of Asthma Questionnaire (PCAQ) demonstrated in ternal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74) and excellent construct v alidity, correlating strongly with asthma severity, quality of life, a nd Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) measures of health status (p < 0.05). After controlling for demographics and asthma severity, e ach 6-point decrement in PCAQ score was significantly associated with increased risk of hospitalization (OR = 1.4 [95% CI: 1.1 to 1.8]), fre quent activity restriction (OR = 1.5 [1.2 to 1.8]), and, among those w ith labor force participation (n = 551), asthma-related cessation of e mployment (OR = 1.7 [1.1 to 2.4]). The PCAQ is a short, easy to admini ster, reliable, and valid measure of perceived control of asthma. It i s strongly associated with adverse asthma outcomes even taking into ac count demographic characteristics and asthma severity, suggesting that patient-centered interventions focusing on perceived control might im prove asthma outcomes.