The Rainbow Study - a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effect of Personalized Feedback on Symptom Perception in Asthmatic Children
Asthma is a common childhood disease that is characterized by chronic airway inflammation and episodic expiratory airflow obstruction. Asthma symptoms can impair participation in play and sports and have a negative impact on quality of life. It can be challenging for children to adequately feel and report their symptoms. Some children experience more symptoms than expected based on lung function during these symptoms, whereas others experience less symptoms than expected. This is also called 'symptom perception'. A tool was developed to visualize symptoms, lung function and accessory symptom perception: The Rainbow tool. The aim of this study was to identify asthmatic children with a poor perception and investigate if their symptom perception could be improved by regular lung function measurements and personal feedback based on the Rainbow Tool. Hypothesis: Measuring lung function en symptoms and provide personal feedback on perception based on the Rainbow tool has a positive effect on perception of asthma-related symptoms in asthmatic children.
⁃ Selection phase:
• Pediatrician diagnosed asthma
• Health care professional thinks perception might be poor
• Age 7 until 15 years old
• Adequate understanding of Dutch language
⁃ Intervention phase:
• Adequate number of lung function measurements + VAS scores during selection phase, defined as:
• At least 4 measurements after exercise or when experiencing symptoms and
• At least 2 standard measurements
• Poor perception during selection phase, defined as:
• At least 1 measurement in red zone on Perception Rainbow and/or
• At least 2 measurements in orange zone on Perception Rainbow and/or
• Average of all measurements after exercise or when experiencing symptoms in yellow zone (or orange/red)and/or
• Average of all measurements in yellow zone (or orange/red)