An online study to change perceptions of asthma and asthma medication in adults

INTERVENTION: Participants within each cohort were randomised using the computerised block randomisation function in Qualtrics online survey software. All participants received information about asthma and its treatment (in particular inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)). The control group was presented with standard care information about asthma and asthma medication, as presented on the National Health Service (NHS) webpage. Those in the intervention groups were presented with the Balance Model of asthma (BM‐intervention). The Balance Model is a medically accurate description of asthma, but by using reframing it moves asthma away from the classical, medical description to a simpler and more positive explanation that is easy to understand for patients and creates a common‐sense fit between medication and illness beliefs. As the channel through which an intervention is delivered may also impact its effectiveness, participants were randomised to either receive the BM‐intervention in written format (matched NHS format) or as a four‐minute video (same content as written format). Outcome data was collected immediately after the intervention and at two‐week follow‐up. CONDITION: Asthma (including people without asthma as a proxy group for newly diagnosed patients) ; Respiratory ; Asthma PRIMARY OUTCOME: Participants' beliefs about inhaled corticosteroids are assessed using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire Speci?c Asthma version (BMQ‐S, Horne & Weinman 2002), a 11‐item questionnaire used to measure beliefs about the personal need for ICS and the concerns about the potential adverse consequences of ICS. Measurements taken at baseline (asthma cohort only), immediately post‐intervention and two‐week follow‐up. SECONDARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Medication adherence/adherence intention: people in the asthma cohort fill out the 10‐item version of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS; Horne, Weinman, & Hankins, 1999) at baseline and 2‐week follow‐up, and an adherence intention measure immediately post‐intervention. The cohort without asthma completes the adherence intention measure immediately post‐intervention and at 2‐week follow‐up.; 2. Whether the information provided by the intervention had been understood and found to be coherent, whether perceptions about potential side‐effects were reduced, whether efficacy beliefs about ICS were increased and perceptions of self were positively altered. Measured using visual analogue scales immediately post‐intervention and at 2‐week follow‐up.; 3. Beliefs about asthma, measured using the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire brief version (B‐IPQ; Moss‐Morris et al., 2002) at baseline, immediately post‐intervention and 2‐week follow‐up.; INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. At least 18 years old 2. Having been diagnosed with asthma for the asthma patient arm of the study