Validation of the 30 Second Asthma Test™ as a Measure of Asthma Control

BACKGROUND: The primary objective of asthma management is to help patients establish and maintain optimal disease control. Simple and efficient tools are needed to assess patient-reported symptoms so that they can be used with or without airway function to evaluate asthma control.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the validity of The 30 Second Asthma Test (GlaxoSmithKline Inc, Canada), based on the Canadian Asthma Guidelines, by estimating its relationship with criterion measures of control.

RESULTS: The discriminative and diagnostic validity of The 30 Second Asthma Test™ was examined in a sample of 81 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma. Based on a cut-off score of two or greater on The 30 Second Asthma Test™, the overall agreement with specialist ratings was 65%, and 58% with per cent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s. The 30 Second Asthma Test™ scores distinguished between groups of patients who were classified based on the change in intensity of therapy.

CONCLUSION: The results support the use of The 30 Second Asthma Test™ as a brief screening tool for asthma control.