Stephen, age 25, was diagnosed with asthma very recently. He is white British, single and works as a delivery driver. Stephen has been prescribed a preventative inhaler and a ventolin inhaler to use when needed. He is due to return to see his GP soon for a review to see how effective the medication has been.

Dee, age 52, was diagnosed with asthma at age 23, soon after giving birth to one of her sons. She is white European and has four children. She works as an office administrator in the financial sector. Dee has learned to manage the condition successfully. She describes herself as an organised asthmatic' as she feels that there are steps you can take to help to make things easier - to take the preventative medication even when you're feeling well, ensure that you keep your medication up to date, are aware of what medication you are taking, and that other people know what to do in case of an emergency.

Tim, age 63, was diagnosed with asthma at age 25 although he had symptoms of asthma as a child. He is white British and lives with his wife and has spent some of his life living in Australia. He is an author. Tim describes his asthma as stable and fairly minor.' Since being prescribed medication, he says that asthma has never stopped him from doing what he wants to do, but he remains aware of the dangers of asthma.

Esther, age 41, developed asthma when she was in her 20's but was not properly diagnosed until sometime later, after having her first child. She is white British and lives with her partner and two children. She works as a primary school teacher. It took a while to come to terms with the idea of taking medication on a long term basis. She had a period of time a few years ago when she was very unwell after suffering from pneumonia, but more recently she has felt fit and healthy, and regularly exercises including running and jogging.