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Abstract
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by episodes of impaired breathing caused when muscles constrict in the airways. This disease affects more than 23 million people and is the most common long-term disease in children in the United States. Asthma is also commonly found in athletes. Physical exertion can trigger asthma symptoms in athletes, as well as in non-athletes, who have asthma. Asthma can be managed by several different types of healthcare professionals, including certified athletic trainers. Therefore, the purpose of this survey study was to ascertain a set of athletic trainers perceptions about asthma and its treatment and to evaluate if any variables could be used to predict behavior. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants perception of asthma and asthma management. A Person product correlation, Spearman Rho correlation, and t-test were used to evaluate predictor variables based on participant responses. The sample for this study was 349 certified athletic trainers, all members of the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA). Self-reported responses were collected from each participant concerning asthma knowledge and asthma management. Overall, participants in this study had a high perception of asthma knowledge and asthma management. However, self-reported behaviors toward asthma knowledge and asthma management were lower than beliefs and peer beliefs. None of the studied variables were useful in predicting the behavior in certified athletic trainers.