 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jude Taylor-Fishwick, MPH, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Center for Pediatric Research, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 855 W. Brambleton Ave, Norfolk, VA 23510, 757-668-6359, taylorj@chkd.com, Cynthia Kelly, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 601 Children's Lane, Norfolk, VA 23507, and Cynthia Collins-Odoms, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Center for Pediatric Research, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 855 W. Brambleton Ave, Norfolk, VA 23510.
Background: Children in Head Start (HS) are an underserved, low income, and predominantly minority population in need of comprehensive, preventive care and education for all their medical needs, including the chronic illness of asthma. The HS Centers in Hampton Roads, Virginia currently provide early childhood education for 1,400 children. Previous data indicates that these children have frequent emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, as well as low use of controller medications. These data suggest that many children in this population have uncontrolled asthma symptoms. Methods: EZ Breathers, a comprehensive education program, was initiated at HS Centers to include asthma education sessions for parents and teachers, 24-hour access to nurse triage and an asthma home health nurse visit. The first year of this 5-year study included 35 families of asthmatic children. Comparison sites were independent of the intervention sites. Results: 81% of children in the program visited their primary health care provider for follow-up and preventive asthma care compared to 59% for comparison group children (p=0.09); 53% had reliever medication for asthma symptoms available at school versus 45% for comparison group children (p=0.57). No difference emerged in the number of children presenting to the ED for asthma or in the number of school days missed due to asthma. HS teachers reported improved quality of life and general health for children in the intervention group. Conclusion: HS provides a unique setting to promote culturally appropriate asthma education and prevention in a population that may significantly benefit from an intervention.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Asthma, Pediatrics
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.