Children from single-parent households are more likely to need repeated hospital treatment for asthma. Researchers from the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI) carried out a study at a Cincinnati children’s hospital and concluded that youngsters who live with a lone parent are 50% more likely to be re-admitted within a year compared to those in a two-parent household.
The research aims to improve understanding of why these children return more often to hospital and it suggests that financial strain and home stresses could be among the reasons. Paediatricians treating youngsters with asthma acknowledge that parents play a significant part in controlling and treating their child. A single parent may be trying to deal with a host of other factors on their own, such as raising other children and holding down a job. They may be unable then to provide the required focus and attention on reducing triggers and following the asthma management plan to keep their child well.
Other research demonstrates that text messages have proved effective in reminding youngsters to keep their inhaler full and at hand to control the symptoms of asthma. Doctors at the Women and Children’s Hospital in New York took the innovative approach in a pilot study with patients aged from 6-17, which revealed that receiving a daily text message prompted the children effectively but was less successful with the teenage participants.
Meanwhile, children with food allergies who also show the symptoms of asthma could be given a flu jab to reduce the chance of respiratory complications. A two-year study by the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of Michigan revealed that the flu vaccine is safe for children who are allergic to eggs, no matter how severe the allergy. The study recommends increasing the number of flu jabs to reduce the number of hospital admissions for youngsters.
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