Disease acceptance as a predictor of health behaviour among patients suffering from atopic asthma

Introduction. One of the predictors of health behaviour, positively associated with maintaining good health or recovering from an illness, is
the sense of disease acceptance. It is general conviction of a patient which often relates to the possibility of taking and carrying out actions
leading to the achievement of the result set by an individual.

Aim. The aim of the present statistical study was to determine the degree if illness acceptance among patients with various levels of atopic
asthma control. The study also focused on the impact of the acceptance altered under the influence of the disease, depending on such sociodemographic
factors as sex, age, marital status, activeness at work, place of residence and education. In those cases where this was possible the
differences between the aforementioned parameters within the group with the same intensity of asthma severity were analyzed.
Material and methods. Research group comprised 77 individuals of both sexes, kuyavian - pomeranian voivodeship residents, suffering
from atopic asthma. Depending on the degree of asthma control all patients were divided into three subgroups: with controlled asthma (K),
partly controlled (C) and uncontrolled (N). Sociodemographic information and AIS scale were also used in the research.
Results. Results of the analysis indicated that there is no significant difference between the average AIS scores in subgroups with different degrees
of asthma control. No major gender differences were observed in the test for two sex groups, however, the percentage of women with mild
disease progression is indeed greater than among men. Comparison of average values in two extremely different subgroups (those with controlled
and uncontrolled asthma) showed that the median age of patients in the group with a severe asthma progression is much greater. The study
showed no substantial difference between the percentage of cases of people depending on marital status. It was found that the percentage of
working patients in the group suffering from moderate asthma is indeed greater than the percentage of employed patients in the group with severe
asthma. The results also indicated that the percentage of urban residents is much greater in the group of patients with moderate asthma than in
the group with the mild one. The study has not found a correlation between the degree of asthma gravity and asthma education (p = 0.38).
Conclusions.
1. There is no relationship between the degree of disease acceptance and the degree of disease control.
2. The number of women suffering from asthma decreases together with the disease exacerbation.
3. Patients with uncontrolled asthma are the oldest group
4. Education and marital status do not affect the degree of asthma control.
5. The degree of asthma control affects the professional activity of the patients
Nursing Topics 2013; 21 (1): 13–20