Community-based interventions for childhood asthma using comprehensive approaches: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Main Authors: Mei Chan, Melinda Gray, Christine Burns, Louisa Owens, Susan Woolfenden, Raghu Lingam, Adam Jaffe, Nusrat Homaira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021-02-01
• Series: Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
• Subjects: Community-based; Meta-analysis; Asthma; Childhood; Comprehensive intervention
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-021-00522-9

Abstract Objective We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of comprehensive community-based interventions with ≥ 2 components in improving asthma outcomes in children. Methods A systematic search of Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library and hand search of reference collections were conducted to identify any research articles published in English between 2000 and 2019. All studies reporting community-based asthma interventions with ≥ 2 components (e.g., asthma self-management education, home environmental assessment or care coordination etc.) for children aged ≤ 18 years were included. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects model to estimate pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Of the 2352 studies identified, 21 studies were included in the final analysis: 19 pre-post interventions, one randomised controlled trial (RCT) and one retrospective study. Comprehensive asthma programs with multicomponent interventions were associated with significant reduction in asthma-related Emergency Department (ED) visits (OR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.20–0.35), hospitalizations (OR = 0.24; 95% CI 0.15–0.38), number of days (mean difference = − 2.58; 95% CI − 3.00 to − 2.17) and nights with asthma symptoms (mean difference = − 2.14; 95% CI − 2.94 to − 1.34), use of short-acting asthma medications/bronchodilators (BD) (OR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.16–0.51), and increase use of asthma action plan (AAP) (OR = 8.87; 95% CI 3.85–20.45). Conclusion Community-based asthma care using more comprehensive approaches may improve childhood asthma management and reduce asthma related health care utilization.