Critical Self-Management Competencies for Children with Asthma

A comprehensive typology of the behaviors of children with asthma that are critical in preventing or ameliorating acute asthmatic episodes and exhibiting an appropriate adjustment to having asthma is presented. These behaviors were identified using the critical incident technique. Children with asthma, ages 9–13, their parents, and health professionals provided more than 1,300 reports of actual occasions on which a child took (or failed to take) some action that affected the management of his or her condition. These behavioral data were classified inductively, leading to the identification of 66 specific behaviors involved in the self-management of asthma by children. These behaviors were subsumed hierarchically under 21 general self-management competencies in four areas: prevention, intervention, compensatory behaviors, and dealing with external controlling factors. This report presents the methodology of the critical incident study, the resultant typology of self-management behaviors, and a brief description of how the typology has been utilized in developing two educational programs for children with asthma.