Volume 28, Issue 147, May 2024

Impact of patient demographics on control of Asthma in outpatients accessible at the various community pharmacies in Pakistan

Muhammad Zahid Iqbal^1♦, Ayesha Atif², Fatima Wajid², Sumbal Rafique², Muhammad Sheraz², Muskan Islam², Noor-Ul-Ain², Irsa Irshad², Shuja-Ur-Rehman Khan², Muneeba Naveed², Jawaria Nazeer², Ayesha Zulfiqar², Ahmad Sarfaraz²

¹Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
²Research Student, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Background: Asthma is a public health issue worldwide. Specific demographics influence asthma control, as the condition can vary between countries depending on different factors. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of different demographics on the control of Asthma in different community pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken in a community pharmacy located in Lahore city to assess Asthma control based on symptom improvement parameters. The study evaluated the control rate using a validated data collection form. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 24.0. Post-hoc pairwise comparison of the chi-squared test was employed to analyze various variables in relation to asthma control in patients. The effect size was determined using Phi and Cramer’s v. Results: A statistically significant association (p<0.001) was found between asthma control and patients' gender. Post-hoc pairwise comparison of the chi-square test revealed a direct positive significant association between asthma control and patients' age, with a p-value of 0.001. A statistically strong positive association was observed between age and the impact of asthma control on the sample population. Similarly, the use of formoterol resulted in better asthma control in the population, with a p-value of 0.008 and a moderate positive association effect size (0.258) between the type of inhaler and asthma control. However, smoking did not show a significant association with asthma control in the current research (p=0.478). On the other hand, education level demonstrated a direct positive effect on asthma control, with a p-value of 0.001 and an effect size of 0.288. Conclusion: In conclusion, the current study shows that a number of different variables are having a positive effect on asthma control patients visiting community pharmacies for their medication. More importantly, females have better control of disease than males.

Keywords: Asthma control, demographic variables, adherence of patients, smoking, community pharmacies

Medical Science, 2024, 28, e39ms3343

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v28i147.e39ms3343

Published: 14 May 2024