Asthma in men and women: treatment adherence, anxiety, and quality of sleep.

The aim of this study was to compare female and male asthmatics with special emphasis on reported adherence, anxiety, and quality of sleep. The study included 470 subjects with current asthma from the Nordic countries, who took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) II. Subjects were investigated with a structured clinical interview, including questions on the presence of respiratory symptoms and therapy.

Health-related quality of life in young adults with asthma.

Background: The aim was to study health-related quality of life, five years after an intervention study among young adults with asthma.

Method: The design was a follow-up study of a cohort of young adults with asthma (n=64) and 248 general population controls. Both groups were investigated at follow-up with a respiratory questionnaire and one generic quality-of-life instrument, and the asthma cohort also completed one-asthma-specific questionnaire.

Fish intake of Swedish male adolescents is a predictor of cognitive performance.

Aim: Fish intake is reported to positively influence cognitive performance in infants and the elderly. In a longitudinal cohort study, we evaluated how fish consumption related to later cognitive performance in healthy young male adolescents.

Methods: In 2000, all 15-year-olds (n = 18 158; 9260 males) in the western region of Sweden were requested to complete an extensive questionnaire with items on diseases, fish consumption and socioeconomic status.

Nasal symptoms are associated with school performance in adolescents.

Children with asthma and allergy have higher school absence rates than others, but little is known about their school performance. In a study of 9538 adolescents, nasal symptoms severe enough to affect daily activity were associated with low-grade sum, particularly in adolescents using anti-allergy medication.

A randomized controlled study of a computerized limited education program among young adults with asthma.

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a computerized limited asthma education program, designed to suit young people. The study was conducted with 97 young adults (18-25 years) with asthma, 48 were randomized to the intervention group and 49 to the control group, and they were followed for 12 months. The intervention group completed an interactive computer program of 30-min duration providing information about asthma, mechanisms, trigger factors, allergies and medication use, which was followed by a 30-min discussion with a specialized asthma nurse.