Impact of an asthma program on the quality of life of children in an urban setting.

A comprehensive asthma program involving a pharmacist and physician evaluated quality of life (QOL) for children with asthma and the relationship between changes in QOL and traditional outcomes. The program consisted of aggressive medical management and a comprehensive education program. Children were from an inner-city population who had been referred to a specialist. Twenty of the 29 children enrolled in the program were available for 1-year follow-up. Significant improvements were seen in overall QOL scores and in each domain in the instrument, which exceeded the minimal important difference. A strong relationship was not found between changes in QOL total score and changes in asthma questionnaire score, frequency of nocturnal asthma, symptomatic days, and exercise tolerance. Further research is necessary to support these findings.