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The Spring into Action campaign is a global initiative to
help raise awareness of the need for improved asthma management and control.
By surveying a patient population of 1,800 asthma patients from the UK, Germany,
France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Korea, Australia, and Brazil, the campaign hopes
to motivate patients and physicians around the world to work together to
recognise sub-optimal asthma management and achieve better day-to-day symptom
control with minimal impairment in daily life as well as to encourage policy
makers to spring into action.
The survey has been developed jointly by the International Primary Care
Respiratory Group (IPCRG),
the World Organisation of Family Doctors (Wonca) and AstraZeneca.
The survey
results released on 6th May 2008 to mark World Asthma Day, report that two in
three people with asthma feel that their condition is in some way preventing
them from achieving what they want from life and one third of patients’ are
living in fear of having an attack. Findings also showed that a third of people
with asthma worry about the impact asthma will have on their future health.
Respondents also indicated that asthma impacts every day life. 87% of people
with asthma report that asthma restricts their ability to take part in physical
activities or exercise, and 70% claim that their asthma interrupts their sleep.
For details of the full results and further information on the Spring into
Action asthma campaign, please follow the links below to view
or contact the IPCRG or Wonca.
In addition, as a part of the Spring into Action campaign and prompted by the
survey findings, the IPCRG has developed ‘top
tips’ to respond to the needs of both people with asthma and doctors, and
help meet the WAD aims. The hope is that this information can be the first step
in delivering much needed education to patients across the world to take control
of their asthma and their lives.
Spring into Action Campaign
- From the Survey Fact Sheet
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Research objectives:
- Highlight the need for, and contribute to, a better
understanding of asthma and its management
- Motivate physicians to ensure their patients are better informed
on how to effectively use their medications to achieve asthma
control and minimise the risk of asthma attack
- Motivate patients to work with their physicians to achieve
better day-to-day symptom control with minimal impairment of daily
life
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Of the patients who
said they were prescribed a controller medication, 42% reported using
their reliever more frequently than guidelines recommend1 |
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68% felt their asthma is preventing them from achieving
what they want from life, indicating sub-optimal asthma control |
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Patients' biggest worry in relation to their asthma is
the effect it may have on their future health (34%) and the risk of
having an asthma attack (31%) |
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Only 24% of the patients surveyed could correctly
identify airway inflammation as an underlying cause of asthma symptoms |
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Only 33% of the patients that reported to be prescribed
some kind of anti-inflammatory controller medication knew that the
airways become inflamed |
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The main reasons patients gave for not taking their
asthma medication as prescribed were that they didn't view their
asthma as serious enough to take medication regularly (46%) and that
they tended to stop using their controller medication when they were
feeling well (44%) |
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Interestingly, the patients who correctly identified
airway inflammation as an underlying cause of asthma symptoms,
reported significantly (p<0.01) better compliance to their
medication than patients lacking this knowledge |
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When patients were asked about
information they would like to receive in order to help them to manage
their asthma better, the majority said they would like guidance on:
- the different factors or triggers that can cause
their asthma to worsen (49%)
- how to prevent an asthma attack (47%), and
- guidance on what to do in the event of an attack
(45%)
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Family doctors were rated as the
most useful source of information to find out information about asthma
(38%) followed by specialist doctors (31%) and the internet (17%) The
patients who claimed to receive the most useful information about
their asthma from a nurse or doctor, were seen to be significantly
(p<0.01) more compliant with their medication |
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There is a need for patients to
be given information relating to identifying factors that cause asthma
to worsen, how to prevent and treat asthma attacks and personal asthma
goals to encourage patients to stick to their management strategy |
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About the respondents:
- 1800 adult patients (=18 years),
mean age 33 years
- 100% reported that they had been
diagnosed with asthma
- 100% reported being prescribed an
asthma medication
- 53% reported being prescribed an
anti-inflammatory controller medication
- 34% were male
- 33% were smokers
- 62% were working and 18% students
- 42% had children
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