Untitled Comprehensive School-based Asthma Program
OVERVIEW
This school-based program uses several components to improve outcomes for children with asthma and involves students with asthma, their classmates, their caretakers, their physicians, school principals and counselors, and custodial personnel. An evaluation of the program found positive impacts for daytime symptoms, asthma management, asthma-related absences, and science grades. There was also a positive impact on nighttime symptoms, but only for students with persistent and not intermittent asthma. No impacts were found for asthma medications, grades other than science, and overall school absences.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Elementary school children with asthma
This intervention is a comprehensive school-based program involving several components: Open Airways for Schools disease management training for children, which is adapted to fit local needs; two classroom sessions of Environmental Detective to help classmates understand factors that influence respiratory health and develop empathy for children with asthma; orientation to asthma and control strategies for principals and school counselors; briefings and building walk-throughs for custodial personnel on potential environmental triggers and means of remediation; school fairs for children and caretakers, including question and answer sessions on asthma care for caretakers; and letters to children’s clinicians with information on the program and requesting a copy of children’s asthma action plan for the school.
EVALUATION OF PROGRAM
Evaluated population: 835 children with asthma from fourteen public elementary schools in Detroit. The sample was 98 percent African American, and 45 percent came from families with incomes below $15,000.
Approach: Schools were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. Caretakers were interviewed at baseline, 12 month follow-up, and 24 month follow-up on children’s asthma symptoms and asthma management. Data were also collected on school absences and grades.
Results: By the 24-month follow-up, treatment students had fewer daytime symptoms. Treatment students with persistent asthma also had fewer nighttime symptoms compared with control students with persistent asthma, but among students with mild, intermittent asthma, those who received the intervention had more nighttime symptoms than controls. Parents of students in the treatment schools took more steps by the 24 month follow-up to manage their children’s asthma. Treatment students also had fewer asthma-related absences and their science grades declined less than control students. No impact was found for asthma medications, grades other than science, and general school absences.
Analyses did not adjust for the fact that random assignment was implemented at the school level, while analyses were conducted at the student level.
SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION
References
Clark, N.M., Brown, R., Joseph, C.L.M., Anderson, E.W., Liu, M., & Valerio, M.A. (2004). Effects if a comprehensive school-based asthma program on symptoms, parent management, grades, and absenteeism. Chest, 125, 1674-1679.
Contact Information
Noreen M. Clark, PhD
University of Michigan school of Public Health
1420 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
KEYWORDS: Children (3-11), Elementary, Males and Females (Co-ed), Urban, School-based, Attendance, Academic Achievement/Grades, Health Status/Conditions
Program information last updated on 12/27/10.
|
|
|
© Child Trends 2004 |
|
|
|
