Asthma Research in Children and Adolescents

NCT ID: NCT04480242

Last Updated: 2025-07-31

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

525 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-07-26

Study Completion Date

2030-12-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to assess the evolution of disease control, health-related quality of life, and the risk of severe asthma exacerbations in children and adolescents with persistent asthma in Spain at short, mid and long-term follow-up. Patient-reported information in this project is collected by computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and a mobile application (ARCA App).

Detailed Description

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Primary Objectives:

1. To evaluate the asthma control in children and adolescents with persistent asthma, and its relationship with patient characteristics, treatment and health-related variables (treatment adherence, inhalation technique, inhaler device, asthma triggers, and smoking exposure, among others).
2. To assess the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with persistent asthma, and its relationship with patient characteristics, treatment and health-related variables (asthma control, treatment adherence and inhalation technique, inhaler device, asthma triggers, and smoking exposure, among others).
3. To assess the risk of severe asthma exacerbations in children and adolescents with persistent asthma and its relationship with patient characteristics, treatment, and health-related variables (asthma control, treatment adherence and inhalation technique, inhaler device, health-related quality of life, asthma triggers, and smoking exposure, among others).

Secondary Objectives:

1. To evaluate the effect of monitoring inhalation techniques on patients' performance according to recommended actions when using inhalers, and outcomes such as asthma control, health-related quality of life, and asthma exacerbations.
2. To assess the treatment adherence in children and adolescents with persistent asthma, and its relationship with other treatment-related factors (inhaler technique, inhaler device, adherence attitudes, and beliefs about illness, inhaler and exacerbations, among others).
3. To evaluate health inequalities in children and adolescents with asthma in Spain.

ARCA is a prospective multicenter observational study in children and adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of persistent asthma. This clinical diagnosis of asthma is defined as the presence of wheezing three times in the last year that improves with the use of bronchodilators. Participants are consecutively recruited in outpatient pediatric pulmonology hospital consultations and primary care physicians.

Patient-reported information is obtained by computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and a mobile application (ARCA App). Telephone interviews are performed by trained interviewers to children 8-16 years old and parents/caregivers of children 6-7 years of age, immediately after recruitment and every 6 months. It includes the evaluation of asthma control, prescribed asthma treatment, adherence, and severe asthma exacerbations. Information about inhalation techniques, socioeconomic status, smoking exposure, triggers, use of peak flow, symptom diary, perceived asthma care, adherence attitudes, and beliefs about illness, inhaler and exacerbations is also collected.

The 'ARCA app' combines 3 age versions: parents/guardians (proxy response) for children 6-7 years old, children aged 8-11 years (self-response), and adolescents aged 12-16 years (self-response). The application consists in an interactive chat, simulating a conversation by Short Message Service (SMS) or Instant Messaging Application (WhatsApp) with someone in real time. It includes the monthly administration of 2 questions (global rating of change and severe asthma exacerbations). At the beginning, after downloading the app, and every two months different standardized questionnaires are administered by turns: the EuroQol (EQ-5D), the Pediatric Asthma Impact Scale (PAIS), inhalation techniques scale, and environment support. These latter scales are administered randomly to two groups of equal size, defined within the subsample recruited by each pediatrician.

All the information that each participant answers through the app can be viewed by the pediatrician through a specific platform. The results of the different questionnaires are shown in charts reflecting the patient's answers over time, using the traffic lights code: green for good outcomes, amber for intermediate, and red for poor. Clinical data is registered at recruitment and annually during the follow-up.

Sample size: To detect differences between two groups in the Asthma Control Questionnaire score of 0.3 SD, 175 patients per group would be required to have a statistical power of 80%, at a significance level of 5%.

Conditions

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Persistent Asthma Asthma in Children Asthma Exacerbation

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Asthma Research in Children and Adolescents - Spanish Cohort

Groups defined according to treatments prescribed during regular clinical practice and to the exposure to inhalation techniques monitoring

Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICs)

Intervention Type DRUG

Any corticosteroid (beclomethasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, fluticasone propionate, fluticasone furoate, mometasone, and triamcinolone) prescribed by the pediatrician as an inhaled controller medication, for daily management of asthma. The daily dose of ICs prescribed will be translated into beclomethasone equivalent.

Fixed-Dose Combination of Inhaled Corticosteroids and Long- Acting Beta-agonist (ICs/LABA)

Intervention Type DRUG

Beclomethasone/formoterol, budesonide/formoterol, fluticasone furoate/vilanterol, fluticasone propionate/formoterol, fluticasone propionate/salmeterol, and mometasone/formoterol. Any of these combinations prescribed by the pediatrician as an inhaled controller medication, for daily management of asthma.

Other treatments

Intervention Type DRUG

Low-dose oral corticosteroids, long-acting muscarinic antagonist (tiotropium), low-dose macrolides (azithromycin), leukotrienes receptor antagonists (i.e. montelukast), or biologic agents (i.e. omalizumab).

Inhaler device

Intervention Type DRUG

Pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), Breath-actuated pMDIs, Dry powder inhalers (DPIs), Nebulizers, Soft Mist Inhalers.

Regularly monitoring of the Inhalation technique through mobile app

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

App users are randomized within each pediatrician into two groups of equal size defined within the subsample recruited, so that 50% of the participants are allocated to answer the inhalation techniques, and the other 50% are allocated to answer the environment support scales. Once the app is downloaded, at month 2 and every 6 months thereafter the intervention group answers the inhalation techniques scale (group 1) and the control group answers the environment support scale (group 2).

Interventions

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Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICs)

Any corticosteroid (beclomethasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, fluticasone propionate, fluticasone furoate, mometasone, and triamcinolone) prescribed by the pediatrician as an inhaled controller medication, for daily management of asthma. The daily dose of ICs prescribed will be translated into beclomethasone equivalent.

Intervention Type DRUG

Fixed-Dose Combination of Inhaled Corticosteroids and Long- Acting Beta-agonist (ICs/LABA)

Beclomethasone/formoterol, budesonide/formoterol, fluticasone furoate/vilanterol, fluticasone propionate/formoterol, fluticasone propionate/salmeterol, and mometasone/formoterol. Any of these combinations prescribed by the pediatrician as an inhaled controller medication, for daily management of asthma.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other treatments

Low-dose oral corticosteroids, long-acting muscarinic antagonist (tiotropium), low-dose macrolides (azithromycin), leukotrienes receptor antagonists (i.e. montelukast), or biologic agents (i.e. omalizumab).

Intervention Type DRUG

Inhaler device

Pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), Breath-actuated pMDIs, Dry powder inhalers (DPIs), Nebulizers, Soft Mist Inhalers.

Intervention Type DRUG

Regularly monitoring of the Inhalation technique through mobile app

App users are randomized within each pediatrician into two groups of equal size defined within the subsample recruited, so that 50% of the participants are allocated to answer the inhalation techniques, and the other 50% are allocated to answer the environment support scales. Once the app is downloaded, at month 2 and every 6 months thereafter the intervention group answers the inhalation techniques scale (group 1) and the control group answers the environment support scale (group 2).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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Treatments prescribed during regular clinical practice Treatments prescribed during regular clinical practice Treatments prescribed during regular clinical practice Treatments prescribed during regular clinical practice

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Children or adolescents aged 6-14.
* Clinical diagnosis of asthma.
* Undergoing treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (alone or combined with long-acting beta-agonists) for more than 6 months in the previous year.
* With access to a smart phone (their own, or their parents').

Exclusion Criteria

* Concomitant respiratory diseases:
* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
* Cystic fibrosis
* Pulmonary fibrosis
* Bronchiectasis
* Active tuberculosis,
* Immunodeficiency associated with alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
* Ciliary diseases
Minimum Eligible Age

6 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

14 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Parc de Salut Mar

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Montse Ferrer Fores, MD,PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Parc de Salut Mar

Locations

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Centro de Salud de Jerez Sur

Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud La Candelaria

Seville, Andalusia, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud Torre Ramona

Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain

Site Status

Hospital Miguel Servet

Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain

Site Status

Hospital Universitario Araba

Alava, Basque Country, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud Dobra

Torrelavega, Cantabria, Spain

Site Status

Health Services Research Group, IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Site Status

Hospital del Mar

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Atención Primaria de la Vila Olímpica

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Site Status

Hospital Vall d'Hebron

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Site Status

Hospital Parc Taulí

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud Segovia

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud Canillejas

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud Dos de Mayo Móstoles

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Site Status

Centro de Salud República de Argentina

Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Site Status

Countries

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Spain

Related Links

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http://arca.imim.es

Recruitment platform

Other Identifiers

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PI15/00449

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

ARCA2017

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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