African American Parents'/Guardians' Health Literacy and Self-Efficacy and Their Child's Level of Asthma Control☆

Nearly 1of 10 American children has asthma. Asthma is addressed in Healthy People 2010 as a public health problem. This study examined the relationship between parents'/guardians' health literacy levels and their perceived self-efficacy to manage their child's asthma. A four-page asthma questionnaire was developed to assess the self-efficacy of parents/guardians of African American children with asthma. There was a statistically significant relationship among the parents'/guardians health literacy levels and their perceived efficacy expectations to manage their child's asthma. There is evidence that high parental/guardian self-efficacy and successful asthma management contribute to a child with well-controlled asthma. It is necessary for patient educators to capitalize on physician/nurse visits and use the time for asthma education, particularly to increase the efficacy expectations of parents/guardians with limited health literacy skills.

Key words: Asthma, Health literacy, Race/ethnicity, Health disparities, Self-efficacy, School-aged children