Usefulness of the Japanese Pediatric Asthma Control Program for children under 4 years

Abstract

‹Objective›
The Japanese Pediatric Asthma Control (JPAC) questionnaire is a convenient tool to assess asthma control in children aged 4-15 years. We modified the JPAC questionnaire to evaluate asthma severity and asthma control in children under 4 years of age. The aim of this study is to validate this modified JPAC questionnaire in children aged less than 4 years.
‹Method›
In all, 167 participants aged 5 months to 4 years were diagnosed with asthma by physicians from 6 participating centres. We assessed asthma control by using the modified JPAC questionnaire and determined whether the relationship between total scores and asthma severity was similar in the modified and original JPAC questionnaires. Multiple linear regression models were used, with the total score as an objective variable and age group, asthma severity, and interaction between age group and severity as factors.
‹Results›
An increase apparent severity was significantly associated with a decrease in the total score on the modified JPAC questionnaire (P < 0.0001, Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test). No significant differences were detected between the 2 questionnaires, and the regression slopes of both questionnaires were similar.
‹Conclusion›
The modified JPAC questionnaire can be used to determine asthma severity and asthma control in children under 4 years of age and will facilitate guideline-based care for childhood asthma.