Evaluation of levels of literacy in health, knowledge in asthma and quality of life of parents associated with disease control in children and adolescents diagnosed with asthma from specialized centers

Aims: to evaluate the level of knowledge in asthma, health literacy and quality of life of caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with the disease, as well as the association with asthma control, treatment adherence and quality of life.Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted with caregivers and patients from two specialized referral centers in southern Brazil, between March 2018 and November 2018. Parents and caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with asthma, aged 18 years and older, participated in the study. The following questionnaires were applied: sociodemographic, Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Portuguese-Speaking Adults and Paediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire. For statistical purposes, the t-test, chi-square and Binary Logistic Regression were used.Results: a total of 125 caregivers were included, 89 (71.2%) mothers, with a mean age of 35.7±9.2 years, 65 (52%) with completed high school and 100 (80%) belonging to economy class C. Of the total, 74 (59.2%) inadequate levels of literacy in health and 117 (94.4%) inadequate levels of knowledge in asthma. Asthma was not controlled in 91 (72.8%) of the patients, being associated with a lower quality of life of them and their caregivers (p