The objectives of this descriptive study were to examine the associations of health practices, and metered dose inhaling (MDI) technique with selected factors. The purposive sample consisted of 100 asthmatic patients attending the allergy clinic at a regional hospital under the Ministry of Health, and the chest clinic at a university hospital. The data were collected using a questionnaire-based interview covering demographic data, asthmatic health data, and health practices. The subjects' MDI techniques were assessed by observation and interviews. Independent t-test, analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression, given the significance level at .05, were used in data analysis.
Factors significantly associated with health practices were the type of hospital the subjects attended and sex. The subjects attending the university hospital and being female tended to have better health practices.
Factors significantly associated with MDI techniques were type of hospital the subjects attended, education level and marital status. The subjects attending the university hospital, having higher education level and being a member of a couple tended to have better MDI techniques.
The findings suggest the importance of the hospital the subjects attended, sex and marital status on health practice and MDI technique. Health education should be emphasized among those attending a regional hospital, being male, and having no spouse.