Development of an executive functioning intervention to improve asthma self-management in Black adolescents and young adults: Preliminary feedback and future considerations

<p>n the United States, asthma is the most common chronic medical condition in youth, and it disproportionately affects Black adolescents. Numerous studies document poor asthma self-management for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), which compromises treatment effectiveness and drives up healthcare costs. However, it remains unclear how to increase health-promoting behaviors and reduce health disparities between Black AYAs and other races who experience better asthma-related outcomes. Interventions have been developed to improve adolescent self-management, yet few comprehensively address the psychological, cognitive, and contextual components that may interfere with an AYA's engagement in health behaviors, and few have developed interventions utilizing AYA input. The current study aimed to describe variables to consider in developing a psychological intervention and obtain initial feedback on an adapted four-session, group-administered executive functioning intervention for Black AYAs with asthma. First, participants were surveyed to assess their general preferences for the format and content of the intervention described above. Part of this process included having participants review brief videos that described, rather than instantiated, the proposed video interventions. After viewing these videos, participants were asked to provide feedback on the proposed outlines described in each video. Findings from this study indicated that even before reviewing the proposed intervention materials, most participants were interested in being a part of an asthma self-management intervention, irrespective of whether it was designed for Black AYAs. Following their review of the proposed intervention, participants’ feedback included the following general themes: (a) participants were interested in learning more about the intervention, (b) they wanted the intervention to be more detailed and specific to Black individuals with asthma, and (c) they saw the potential benefits of participating in a group format. Further implications, limitations, and future directions for this study are discussed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Jong, Kelsey L.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Stephen Jefferson, PhD
• Catherine Peterson, PhD
• Heather Janisse, PhD

• Adherence
• Adolescents and young adults
• Asthma
• Black or African American
• Executive functioning
• Self-management
• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1247

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2604