Financial incentives to improve asthma (FINA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Financial incentives to improve adherence to inhaled asthma medications in children and young people with asthma.
IRAS ID
306829
Contact name
Louise Fleming
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Research shows that children and young people with asthma often have poor adherence to their preventer inhalers which leads to poor asthma control, increased risk of asthma attack and hospital admissions.
Findings effective ways to encourage preventer inhaler use is challenging. The use of technology could help children and young people taking their preventer inhalers more regularly. Electronic monitoring devices have been used in several interventions as they can be programmed with electronic reminders. In a New Zealand study, these electronic reminders improved inhaler taking in children, but after 2-months, these improvements waned.
Using financial incentives is an emerging interest in healthcare and has been successful at improving several health behaviours (such as reducing smoking).
In a US proof of concept study, the use of electronic reminders were couples with financial incentives to improve preventer inhaler use in African-American adolescents. The results were promising and both adherence and asthma control were improved across the intervention period. A feasibility study conducted by this research group found the use of financial incentives coupled with electronic reminders to be feasible and acceptable for improving preventer inhaler use in adolescents with previous poor adherence and poor asthma control.
The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a financial incentives intervention at improving adherence to preventer inhalers in children and young people with asthma. We will recruit 50 children from a London hospital after they have presented with an asthma attack. All participants will be enrolled in a 24-week programme of monitoring and electronic reminders. Participants will be randomised to either the control or intervention group. Participants in the intervention group will receive financial incentives based upon their adherence for 12-weeks (between visit 1 and 2).
We will collect data on adherence, asthma control, perceptions of illness, beliefs, motivations and habit related to asthma medications.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0267
Date of REC Opinion
11 May 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion