Providing feedback on adherence increases use of preventive medication by asthmatic children.

This study investigates the impact of measuring adherence and providing feedback on medication usage by children with unstable asthma. Adherence was measured using an electronic monitoring device. Subjects were randomized to either being told of their adherence during review consultations or for their adherence to remain undisclosed to their parents and treating physician.

Assessing adherence and factors associated with adherence in young children with asthma.

Background And Objective: Adherence with preventive asthma medication by young children is an important factor when evaluating a suboptimal response to treatment. However, few data exist regarding the accuracy of subjective measures of adherence and factors associated with adherence in young children.

Methods: Fifty-one asthmatic children aged 18 months to 7 years had their use of preventive asthma medication monitored using an electronic monitoring device (Smartinhaler) for 1 month.

Breastfeeding does not increase the risk of asthma at 14 years.

Objectives: There are conflicting data regarding the impact of breastfeeding on the development of asthma in late childhood. Our aim with this study was to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and the prevalence of asthma in children at 14 years.

Methods: The Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy is a birth cohort of 7223 women and their infants recruited from a public antenatal clinic in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1984.

In vitro evaluation of an asthma dosing device: the smart-inhaler.

Monitoring devices attached to pressurised metered dose inhalers provide an important objective measurement of patient adherence with asthma medications in clinical and research settings. The Smart-inhaler is a relatively new device that has not been previously validated. This study examines the accuracy of the Smart-inhaler in a bench-top experiment and compares it with a previously validated device, the Doser.