ABSTRACT
Introduction Asthma, a common chronic airway disorder, presents challenges in diagnosis and management, particularly in children. Triggers include allergens and pollutants, necessitating lifestyle modifications and pharmacological treatments. Severe cases require tailored management. International guidelines provide stepwise approaches, while the Saudi Thoracic Society offers comprehensive recommendations, emphasizing gradual treatment phases and thorough clinical assessment. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and awareness levels among mothers of asthmatic children in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 mothers with asthmatic children at primary healthcare centers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Mothers' knowledge of asthma was assessed using an online questionnaire. Participants were selected via a convenient non-probability sampling technique. Data was cleaned in Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 29 (Released 2023; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Participants were selected via a convenient non-probability sampling technique. Necessary statistical tests like Chi-square and Fisher's exact test were applied. Results Our study involved 422 mothers of asthmatic children in Saudi Arabia. Most participants were aged 35-44 years (50.7%) and Saudi nationals (92.2%), with 88.2% having one asthmatic child. Regarding awareness, exposure to air pollution (97.9%) and cigarettes (93.4%) were well-recognized factors. Pediatricians (50.5%) and family physicians (42.2%) were primary information sources. Concerning attitudes, most mothers disagreed with the harmful effects of inhalers (82.5%-92.7%) and advocated for avoiding smoking near asthmatic children (94.8%). Our study revealed that 94.5% of mothers of asthmatic children possessed a good level of knowledge about asthma in their children, while 5.5% demonstrated a low level of knowledge. Notably, mothers with good knowledge levels reported fewer emergency room visits (p=0.011) and hospitalizations (p=0.001). Predictors of good-level knowledge included higher education (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =4.080, p=0.007) and absence of smoking relatives (AOR =0.222, p=0.005), while pet ownership was associated with lower knowledge (AOR =0.257, p=0.030). Conclusion Our study underscores the importance of maternal knowledge in pediatric asthma management. Good awareness levels were observed regarding key risk factors and appropriate attitudes toward medication use. Higher education and absence of smoking relatives were significant predictors of mothers' knowledge of the disease.
