Improving Asthma Control and Quality of Life in Adolescents Through Access to a Mobile App

Asthma is the most common chronic pediatric condition and affects 8.3% of children in the United States. The episodic nature of this chronic disease requires careful self-management in order to monitor symptoms, take medications correctly, and avoid triggers. Adolescent patients may lack the organizational skills necessary to manage asthma, thereby predisposing them to poor asthma control and quality of life. Mobile technology use is widespread among this population, and current literature suggests that it may be an acceptable tool to assist adolescents in independently managing asthma. The purpose of this project was to assess if having access to the mobile AAP Asthma Tracker for Adolescents application (app) from the American Academy of Pediatrics improves asthma control and quality of life among adolescents with asthma. The project was conducted at a co-divisional private high school in urban Massachusetts. Participants completed two validated survey tools, the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and were then introduced to the AAP Asthma Tracker for Adolescents app. After one month of app access, participants again completed the surveys. Twelve students, ages 14-18 years old, participated in the project. It was identified that having access to the app for one month led to a statistically significant improvement in mean scores of asthma control and quality of life: mean ACT scores were 19.42 ± 1.16 pre-intervention and 21.92 ± 0.65 post-intervention (p=0.041), and mean PAQLQ scores were 5.54 ± 0.24 pre-intervention and 6.14 ± 0.19 post-intervention (p=0.049). Two of the three PAQLQ domains showed statistically significant improvement, activity limitation (5.39 ± 0.29 pre-intervention and 6.18 ± 0.20 post-intervention; p=0.013) and emotional functioning (5.78 ± 0.27 pre-intervention and 6.35 ± 0.17 post-intervention; p=0.034). The third domain, symptoms, did not show a statistically significant improvement from 5.42 ± 0.25 pre-intervention to 5.94 ± 0.26 post-intervention (p=0.099). The AAP Asthma Tracker for Adolescents app may be a valuable tool to assist adolescents in improving their asthma control and quality of life. Providers looking to implement the app should recognize that extensive effort was required to ensure all participants had accounts. Selecting an app that has reliable access is important when recommending this type of intervention for management of a chronic disease. This technology has the potential to bridge the gap between healthcare received in a clinical setting and at school. School nurses can encourage the use of this app in adolescents with asthma, thereby supporting adherence to prescribed therapies as well as development of the organizational skills necessary to manage a chronic disease.