The Effectiveness of Peer-education Programs for Adolescents Diagnosed With Asthma

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Technology-based Program Delivered by Peer-led and Adult Educators to Adolescents Diagnosed With Asthma

The research was planned in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of technology-based education provided by peers and adults to children diagnosed with asthma in the 14-17 age group. The study will be conducted in two phases. The initial phase will assess the efficacy of the training provided to peer mentors. The subsequent phase will examine the impact of peer-led and adult-delivered technology-based education on quality of life, asthma control, asthma knowledge, and self-efficacy in adolescents diagnosed with asthma. The required institutional permission and ethics committee approval was received. The study group of the study will consist of 48 adolescents (intervention group 1 [n=16], intervention group 2 [n=16], and control group [n=16]). Data will be collected by using the descriptive features form, the Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficiacy Questionaire, the Asthma Quality of Life Scale for Children, the Asthma Control Test, the Asthma Knowledge Test.The data will be analyzed using the SPSS 27 program.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. Although asthma often occurs in childhood, it can occur at any age. The incidence and prevalence of asthma is higher in children. On average, 5-10% of the world's population has an individual diagnosed with asthma, and one-third of these individuals are under the age of 18. In the United States of America (USA), approximately 6 million children between the ages of 0-17 are diagnosed with asthma. It has been reported that adolescents are at high risk for poor asthma outcomes, and death rates from asthma are twice as high in the 11-17 age group than in the 0-10 age group.

Peer relationships and peer support are of particular importance for children with chronic illnesses. Adolescents diagnosed with asthma value support from their peers. Adolescents tend to seek guidance from people with similar characteristics, and the opinions of individuals with similar characteristics are more valuable than those of individuals who do not have similar characteristics. Being with an adolescent diagnosed with asthma can improve the adolescent's sense of support and sense of normalcy. It is crucial to create an environment where adolescents diagnosed with asthma can interact with other adolescents diagnosed with asthma, thereby facilitating the formation of a support network.The research was planned in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of technology-based education provided by peers and adults to children diagnosed with asthma in the 14-17 age group. The study group of the study will consist of 48 adolescents (intervention group 1 [n=16], intervention group 2 [n=16], and control group [n=16]). The technology-based program will be applied to adolescents for 4-6 weeks through modules on the website. At the end of the study, it will apply website modules to the adolescents in the control group. The research is based on the Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory.

Inclusion Criteria:

• the ages of 14 and 17 who have been diagnosed with asthma at least three months prior
• who do not have any other medical diagnoses of chronic disease.
• who must own and be able to use a smartphone, reliable home internet access, and a computer.
• who must be proficient in Turkish and not be in the active attack period.
• who must not have experienced a stressful event that could affect their quality of life in the last three months, such as an acute illness, the birth of a new sibling, or the death of a family member.

Exclusion Criteria:

• who are unwilling or unable to continue the research
• who fail to participate in the internet-based application on two or more occasions