The effectiveness of telegram‐based virtual education versus in‐person education on the quality of life in adolescents with moderate‐to‐severe asthma: A pilot randomized controlled trial
Shiva Faraji, Sousan Valizadeh, Akbar Sharifi, Shahla Shahbazi, Morteza Ghojazadeh
Abstract
Abstract Aim In recent years, mobile applications have been developed for health education purposes. The aim of this study was to determine whether Telegram‐based virtual education versus in‐person education can be effective for improving the quality of life in adolescents with moderate‐to‐severe asthma. Design A single‐blind randomized trial. Methods Participants were 64 adolescents aged 12–19 years and were equally assigned randomly to group A (Telegram‐based education) and group B (in‐person education) during 22 June 2017–19 February 2018. The educational contents were similar for both groups. The Mini Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was used prior to intervention and 5 weeks postintervention for both groups of adolescents. Results A statistically significant increase was observed in the quality of life in both groups ( p < .001). After controlling the quality‐of‐life scores, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the mean score for the quality of life and its domains ( p < .05).