School kids benefit from asthma education program

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Asthma is a growing problem among children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of asthma in kids increased from 3.6% to 6.2% from 1980 to 1996. The condition is also the third-highest cause of hospitalization among children younger than 15, and it causes students to lose a total of 14 million days of school each year. Children in some urban areas are especially vulnerable, with some studies showing that poor preventative medical care, lack of education and exposure to environmental irritants are all contributing factors.

But there may be some hope. A recent study found that a school-based asthma education and management program was instrumental in reducing children’s symptoms, allowed them to take part in more activities, and cut down on the need for healthcare.

The intervention took place from 2003 to 2006 and included 990 asthmatic middle and high school students in Oakland. The students attended a four-session program titled ‘Kickin’ Asthma’ that included basics on lung physiology and asthma; the triggers, symptoms and warning signs of the condition; medication; problem-solving and dealing with emergencies; and a review. At initial and follow-up sessions, participants were asked about their day- and nighttime symptoms, how many days of school they missed and whether their activities were disrupted, healthcare visits, and how they managed their symptoms with medication and equipment such as inhalers.

Overall, children benefited from the sessions: During two years of the program, activity limitations and average nights of disrupted sleep decreased significantly. For one year, average days of school missed were also reduced. For three years, participants reported fewer outpatient emergency care visits or hospitalizations for asthma. And most students showed improvement in overall asthma symptoms after going through the program.

‘This study demonstrates how schools can play an important role in the health and safety of children and adolescents coping with asthma,’ said Sheryl Magzamen, lead author of the study, in a news release. added Magzamen, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society scholar at the University of Wisconsin, ‘We found that ‘Kickin’ Asthma’ is a good strategy for educating adolescents about their disease and helping them to take more control over it.’

The ‘Kickin’ Asthma’ program was developed by the American Lung Assn. staff and by nurses and peer educators from the Oakland Unified School District. The study appears in this month’s issue of the Journal of School Health.

-- Jeannine Stein