Findings from the Asthma in New Zealand Survey, released
today by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New
Zealand, show that more than half of respondents were living
with poorly controlled asthma and that many of these people
were not receiving adequate care and support.
“There
were a number of alarming findings that came out of the
survey,” says Foundation Chief Executive Letitia Harding.
“The first was that while 74% of those surveyed rated their
own asthma as either always or mostly under control, further
questions revealed that in fact only 18% would be defined as
having well-controlled asthma and 51% of respondents had
poorly controlled asthma. This indicates that many New
Zealanders may not know what well-controlled asthma actually
feels like.”
Asthma control describes how often people
experience symptoms like wheezing, coughing, breathlessness
and chest tightness, as well as how often they need to use a
reliever inhaler and how often asthma interfered with daily
activities. The survey found that one third of respondents
reported asthma interfered with their daily lives and a
further 26% said that asthma significantly affected their
quality of life.
“It is a real concern that asthma is
having such a significant impact on so many Kiwis. The
reasons for this will be due to a combination of factors
including living conditions and exposure to triggers,”
explains Foundation Medical Director Dr James Fingleton.
“However, the survey also reveals issues with care and
management that could be having an impact.”
The survey
found that many Kiwis were not receiving regular asthma
check-ups, and often those check-ups did not include basic
management questions or checks. Asthma check-ups are
recommended annually, but 26% of those surveyed said they
had never had their asthma reviewed by a healthcare
practitioner. Furthermore, 21% of respondents said they had
never received instructions on how to correctly use their
inhaler.
“Regular checks are vital to ensure that
people are on the appropriate medication, using this
medication correctly and are aware of other important
self-management tools like asthma action plans. For example,
we know that up to 80% of people with asthma do not use
their inhalers correctly, which means they potentially not
getting all the medicine they need. Regular inhaler
technique checks are essential to good management, but only
22% of our respondents had their inhaler technique reviewed
at their last check up,” says Dr Fingleton.
The survey
also asked respondents to identify their biggest concerns
about having asthma. 55% were concerned about being able to
get an appointment with their healthcare practitioner when
needed, while 39% were worried about the costs associated
with healthcare visits and prescriptions.
“These
concerns are in line with what is being reported widely
around New Zealand. People are struggling to get
appointments, and GPs are under huge amounts of pressure.
The Ministry of Health needs to be urgently looking at ways
to ease that pressure, which could include enabling
pharmacists and Asthma Societies to carry out asthma
check-ups,” says Ms Harding.
This is the
Foundation’s first annual survey of New Zealanders’
experiences with asthma. The voluntary survey was anonymous
and completed by 488 New Zealanders; either by parents on
behalf of children with asthma or by adults living with
asthma. It provides an insight into the lived experiences of
Kiwis with asthma. The full report can be read
here:
https://www.asthmafoundation.org.nz/assets/documents/ARFNZ-asthma-in-NZ-survey-2023-Final.pdf
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