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The views of children and young people on the use of silk garments for the treatment of eczema: a nested qualitative study within the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) randomized controlled trial

The views of children and young people on the use of silk garments for the treatment of eczema: a nested qualitative study within the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) randomized controlled trial
The views of children and young people on the use of silk garments for the treatment of eczema: a nested qualitative study within the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) randomized controlled trial
Background: many children suffer with skin diseases but to date most dermatological research has been done 'on' rather than 'with' children; in this study we actively sought the experiences of children and young people. Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic, itchy, inflammatory skin condition that affects around 20% of children and can impact on the health and wellbeing of children and their families. The role of specialist clothing in the management of AE is poorly understood.Objectives: the aim of this study, which was nested in a randomized controlled trial, was to qualitatively examine child participants' experiences of using silk garments for the treatment of AE.Methods: eighteen children aged 5-15 years, who took part in the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) trial, participated in age-appropriate individual interviews or focus groups.Results: thematic analysis generated four themes directly related to the silk garments: (i) expectations of the garments; (ii) wearing the garments; (iii) asking if the garments helped; and (iv) thoughts about the garments. The conclusions from this nested qualitative study are that there was some limited improvement in eczema for some children but that the hoped-for 'miracle cure' did not transpire. A mixed picture of knowledge, beliefs and experiences of using the silk garments emerged.Conclusions: engaging children in the evaluation of the garments provided first-hand nuanced insights that enhanced understanding of the CLOTHES study as a whole. This nested study demonstrates that children can and indeed want to be engaged in dermatological research in meaningful ways that add to our understanding of treatment options.
Adolescent, Attitude to Health, Child, Child, Preschool, Clothing, Data Collection, Eczema/psychology, Female, Focus Groups, Humans, Male, Motivation, Patient Comfort, Pruritus/prevention & control, Silk
0007-0963
183-190
Wake, E V
f88f371e-f7e4-46ae-b290-51f269cb81f7
Batchelor, J
bcc94d25-4ff7-4fec-b940-74c0ac19064c
Lawton, S
40363bea-7500-48a6-94f0-de7116143c41
Thomas, K. S.
b107015f-c7d9-42cc-b87b-207c49e5369a
Harrison, E. F.
790b5574-f3c8-4c86-96c9-9b113e977ac0
Cowdell, F C
562c5428-7ad7-4a80-9d27-ec49a09701f9
U.K. Dermatology Clinical Trials Network's CLOTHES Trial Team
Wake, E V
f88f371e-f7e4-46ae-b290-51f269cb81f7
Batchelor, J
bcc94d25-4ff7-4fec-b940-74c0ac19064c
Lawton, S
40363bea-7500-48a6-94f0-de7116143c41
Thomas, K. S.
b107015f-c7d9-42cc-b87b-207c49e5369a
Harrison, E. F.
790b5574-f3c8-4c86-96c9-9b113e977ac0
Cowdell, F C
562c5428-7ad7-4a80-9d27-ec49a09701f9

Wake, E V, Batchelor, J, Lawton, S, Thomas, K. S. and Harrison, E. F. , U.K. Dermatology Clinical Trials Network's CLOTHES Trial Team (2018) The views of children and young people on the use of silk garments for the treatment of eczema: a nested qualitative study within the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Dermatology, 178 (1), 183-190. (doi:10.1111/bjd.15909).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: many children suffer with skin diseases but to date most dermatological research has been done 'on' rather than 'with' children; in this study we actively sought the experiences of children and young people. Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic, itchy, inflammatory skin condition that affects around 20% of children and can impact on the health and wellbeing of children and their families. The role of specialist clothing in the management of AE is poorly understood.Objectives: the aim of this study, which was nested in a randomized controlled trial, was to qualitatively examine child participants' experiences of using silk garments for the treatment of AE.Methods: eighteen children aged 5-15 years, who took part in the CLOTHing for the relief of Eczema Symptoms (CLOTHES) trial, participated in age-appropriate individual interviews or focus groups.Results: thematic analysis generated four themes directly related to the silk garments: (i) expectations of the garments; (ii) wearing the garments; (iii) asking if the garments helped; and (iv) thoughts about the garments. The conclusions from this nested qualitative study are that there was some limited improvement in eczema for some children but that the hoped-for 'miracle cure' did not transpire. A mixed picture of knowledge, beliefs and experiences of using the silk garments emerged.Conclusions: engaging children in the evaluation of the garments provided first-hand nuanced insights that enhanced understanding of the CLOTHES study as a whole. This nested study demonstrates that children can and indeed want to be engaged in dermatological research in meaningful ways that add to our understanding of treatment options.

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Accepted/In Press date: 15 August 2017
Published date: 1 January 2018
Additional Information: © 2017 British Association of Dermatologists. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 11/65/01). The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Health Technology Assessment programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health. The trial was developed with support from the U.K. Dermatology Clinical Trials Network, who receive infrastructure funding from the British Association of Dermatologists. The trial was sponsored by the University of Nottingham, was coordinated from the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit, and was supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network
Keywords: Adolescent, Attitude to Health, Child, Child, Preschool, Clothing, Data Collection, Eczema/psychology, Female, Focus Groups, Humans, Male, Motivation, Patient Comfort, Pruritus/prevention & control, Silk

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Local EPrints ID: 478441
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/478441
ISSN: 0007-0963
PURE UUID: 85408783-acfe-4d46-8f99-b8526335c221

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Date deposited: 30 Jun 2023 16:53
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 01:59

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Contributors

Author: E V Wake
Author: J Batchelor
Author: S Lawton
Author: K. S. Thomas
Author: E. F. Harrison
Author: F C Cowdell
Corporate Author: U.K. Dermatology Clinical Trials Network's CLOTHES Trial Team

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