Abstract
Lay definitions of asthma were elicited through a single open-ended question from a population-based sample of mostly Puerto Rican, inner-city residents in Buffalo, New York. One hundred fifty-five household responses to the question, 'What do you think asthma is?' were analyzed qualitatively using the editing approach. Five common codes emerged in order of significance: 'symptoms,' 'disease,' 'triggers,' 'threat,' and 'coping.' Overall, expressions of illness reflected a largely symptomatic perception of asthma regardless of asthma status. Perceptions of 'disease' increased with higher level of education. Patients' definitions of illness should be considered to help reduce interpersonal barriers to asthma care.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 527-537 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Asthma |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1999 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Access to health
- Asthma
- Attitudes to health
- Communication barriers
- Hispanic-American
- Qualitative evaluation
- Signs and symptoms, respiratory
- Theoretical models
- Urban population
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Immunology and Allergy