Exploring lay definitions of asthma and interpersonal barriers to care in a predominantly Puerto Rican, inner-city community

Lay definitions of asthma were elicited through a single open-ended questio n from a population-based sample of mostly Puerto Rican, inner-city residen ts in Buffalo, New York. One hundred fifty-five household responses to the question, "What do you think asthma is?" were analyzed qualitatively using the editing approach. Five common codes emerged in order of significance: " symptoms," "disease," "triggers," "threat," and "coping." Overall, expressi ons of illness reflected a largely symptomatic perception of asthma regardl ess of asthma status. Perceptions of "disease" increased with higher level of education. Patients' definitions of illness should be considered to help reduce interpersonal barriers to asthma care.