The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50388

David R. Brown, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, 129 Portland Street, Boston, MA 02114, 203 259 5698, dbrown@nescaum.org, Margaret Round, NESCAUM, 129 Portland Street, Boston, MA 02114, Andrea L. Boissevain, Health Risk Consultants, 317 Sturges Road, Fairfield, CT 06430, and Melinda Treadwell, Keene State University/ NESCAUM, 129 Portland Street, Boston, MA 02114.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by gene-environmental interactions. A significant rise in asthma over the past two and one half decades raised concerns that a change in environmental exposures could be responsible for a part of this epidemic. Much of the health activity with respect to asthma is focused on treatment, but a meaningful intervention strategy for primary prevention have not emerged. Recent research studies indicate quantitative relationships between environment and asthma, but the actual programs to reduce the exposures need local and regional data. Recent projects in New England over the last decade demonstrate that a combined approach of public, private and government sectors is needed to reduce the exposures. One project on mercury evaluated the region wide exposures and response options, another involving a community hazardous substance exposure shows the need for local interventions, another involving a NGO collected local data on the impact of asthma and triggers at actual schools and a broad based organizational coalitions formed over 6 states provided a forum for coordinating analysis of data and planning of interventions. These activities show that there are critical data needs including: 1. Currently available surveillance data on mortality, prevalence and hospitalization from the New England region for defining and detecting temporal and special differences in asthma. 2. Information from specific projects conducted in local regions to indicate relationships between asthma and environmental factors? 3. Information on the relationships between with asthma and specific factors such as power plants, indoor air and diesel buses. 4. Policy initiatives for timely implementation of the prevention programs at state and local levels.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this presentaion the listener will be able to list the groups needed for an integrated approach for reduction of asthma triggers.
• The listener will be able to determine when sufficient information is available to design and implement intervention programs
• The listener will be able to identify barriers to the development of local and regional intervention programs.

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.