Living With and Learning About Asthma on the College Campus

Abstract

Background:

The American College Health Association reported in 2016 that 8.9% of college students indicated having an asthma diagnosis. When asthmatic students transition to a college campus, they may be ill-equipped to self-manage their asthma due to a lack of proper education, misinformation from their physician, or lack of acceptance of the chronicity of their disease. The research questions are: (1) How do students with asthma learn from their experiences in the self-management of their asthma during their college years? (2) How do these students cope with their asthma on the college campus? Methods: This qualitative case study recruited five college students with partially controlled asthma through the student health center (SHC) of a large public university. Approval for this study was granted from the university’s IRB (#5359). The students were interviewed individually and in a focus group session. Data collected from the interviews underwent coding and analysis to include: (1) initial coding, (2) focused coding, and (3) axial coding. Once codes emerged, they were assembled into themes and the data was subjected to the constant comparative data analysis.

Results:

Qualitative coding and analysis of the data revealed the following themes: (a) students have learned from lived experiences to adapt to weather conditions and campus terrain to avoid asthma triggers, (b) students want to establish an educative, meaningful relationship with healthcare providers at the SHC, (c) students have acquired coping strategies from learned behaviors of living with asthma on campus, and (d) as students transition to an adult role they become more autonomous with healthcare decision-making.

Conclusions:

Based on the findings of this study there is a need for well-written asthma literature that is tailor-made for college students. The need for access to affordable medications is necessary for the overall health and well-being of students with asthma. Study findings reveal there is a need for training of students in the proper use of medication delivery devices and the role of inhaled medications in controlling asthma symptoms. Students prefer a working relationship with healthcare providers at the SHC that utilize a patient-centered approach in the delivery of asthma care. Disclosures: All authors have no conflicts of interest or industry relationships to disclose. This research project was partially funded by a doctoral stipend through Texas State University.