ABSTRACT
Background Asthma is a common public health issue in the pediatric population. The prevalence of asthma in children in Saudi Arabia is increasing. All asthmatic children with continuous symptoms should use controller medications. These medications if used correctly by the patients will diminish the symptoms and avoid exacerbations that lead to hospitalization. Perception of parents toward a particular device can affect the adherence rate. Aim Assessing the parental perception about metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) and nebulizers differences among the Saudi population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess Parental perception about MDIs and nebulizers among Saudi parents with an asthmatic child. The data were collected from the parents and caregivers by using an online questionnaire and informed consent was obtained. The questionnaire was focused on demographic characteristics, knowledge, perception and practice of treating the asthmatic child. Data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and the results were considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. Results A total of 1,021 participants included in this study. This study found asthma is predominant in males (64.4%) and the most affected age is between 8 and 14 years (56.3%). More than half of the parents (58.7%) had a bachelor's degree and above. MDI is the most method used for controlling asthma (32.7%) and the majority of them (70.2%) thought there is a therapeutic difference between MDI and nebulizer. Providing instructions and information on usage MDI was received from 65.2%. Significant relationships were found between the level of satisfaction and receiving enough information about MDI and level of education. Conclusion This study found that asthma is more prevalent in males, where MDI is more common. Majority of the parents had thought that there is a difference in the therapeutic effects between MDI and nebulizer. They believed that nebulizer is more effective, less side effect and cheaper while MDI is easier to use.
