Asthma School Program Yields Multiple Benefits

The school district of Oakland, in California, was the host of a large school program over the past three years, aimed squarely at making children with asthma more aware of their condition and more capable of taking care of themselves. University of Wisconsin (UW) scientist Sheryl Magzamen, PhD, was behind the new study, which tracked over 8,488 teenagers between 2003 and 2006, in 15 middle schools and 3 high schools.

 

The survey itself was conducted on 990 test subjects – children who had asthma and wanted to take part in the study – who attended meetings, where they were informed about the dangers that the respiratory condition implied, as well as of methods to avoid its triggers and negative effects. The research was prompted by the fact that some 10 percent of all American kids, which is about 6.8 million children, suffer from the disease, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates.

 

"This study demonstrates how schools can play an important role in the health and safety of children and adolescents coping with asthma. We found that Kickin' Asthma is a good strategy for educating adolescents about their disease and helping them to take more control over it," says Magzamen, who is also a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society scholar at UW.

 

Among the most obvious benefits of the program, the researchers identified the fact that less children missed school because of their condition. Activity limitations were also reduced, as the participants learned what activities to avoid, and which to pursue. All myths surrounding the disease, which poor students, such as those in the Oakland school district, were very susceptible to, were also dispelled by those who held the presentations.

 

"Effective asthma management programs can prevent costly and disruptive hospitalizations and ER visits, and decrease school absences. Programs like this, that put teenagers in charge of managing their asthma, are important for success and create good health habits for a lifetime," argues Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars National Program Office co-director, Jo Ivey Boufford, M.D.