‘In Control’ - changing asthma attitudes in adolescents through drama

Background: In a recent study we found that many young people with asthma do not feel understood by their school peers (Harris K et al, J Asthma 2017,54(10):1033-1040). In developing an intervention, focused on peer support, we sought to improve understanding of life with asthma in young people using drama. We developed an interactive theatre, called ‘In Control’ addressing asthma attitudes in collaboration with Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre (GLYPT) (Mosler G et al, Lancet 2017,391(10118):303–304). The theatre was performed in 9 schools during a feasibility study. 1814 young people between 11 and 13 years of age filled in questionnaires after the theatre. Results: 98.7% (1774/1798) of the audience said ‘In Control’ was somewhat, very, or completely enjoyable. 84.6% of the young people said that the performance at least somewhat changed how they think or feel about asthma. Additional results are given in the table. A documentary was produced to summarise the development and success of the theatre (https://myhealthinschool.org/video/in_control.mp4) Conclusions: New approaches are required to improve asthma control in young people. Our results indicate that the performance initiated changes in thinking and feeling about asthma. ‘In Control’ might provide a solution to resolve young asthma patient’s emotional barriers around their condition. The effect of the theatre will be evaluated in a randomised control trial.