Compliance with asthma therapy in children

Children's adherence to self-management in asthma therapy is often suboptimal and can result in increased risk for dangerous asthma exacerbations and decreased quality of life for children and their parents. Asthma management for the small child presents some unique compliance challenges related to age, such as the child's limited ability to communicate, parental concerns about medications or prognosis, and multiple caregivers being responsible for medications. Different factors such as the parents' beliefs, characteristics of the regimen, family functioning, and organization have been associated with compliance levels. Understanding and improving compliance with asthma therapy for children and their parents necessitates addressing these age-specific concerns.