The Effect of Perceived Self-efficacy Enhancement Program on Asthma Control Behaviors among School Age Children

Abstract

     Asthma is a global health issue that affects people of all ages, particularly school-aged children. It is essential to promote perceived self-efficacy enhancement in school-aged children to encourage good disease management behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a perceived self-efficacy enhancement program asthma control behaviors among school age children. The study involved school-aged children with asthma and their primary caregivers who received treatment at asthma clinics in two hospitals in Rayong province. Participants were selected based on specific criteria and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with 21 individuals in each group through a lottery process. The experimental group perceived self-efficacy enhancement program based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory, while the control group received standard nursing care. The research tool used for data collection was a perceived self-efficacy enhancement program asthma control behaviors among school age children and questionnaire assessing asthma control behavior in school-aged children, with a reliability score of .88. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests.

     Results showed that after the intervention, children in the experimental group exhibited significantly higher asthma control behavior scores compared to the control group (Z = 5.24, p = .001) and their pre-program scores (Z = 4.01, p = .001) Based on the findings, it is recommended that nurses implement this program to help school-aged children control their asthma more effectively, reducing the risk of recurrent episodes.