A Public Health Response to Asthma A call to action for organizations and people with an interest in asthma management to work as partners in reducing the burden of asthma within our nation’s communities.

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Surveillance Over time…  How much asthma does the population have?  How severe is asthma across the population?  How well controlled is asthma in the population?  What is the cost of asthma?

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Uses of Surveillance Data  Basis for planning and targeting intervention activities  Evaluating intervention activities

A Public Health Response to Asthma Education Education programs can be targeted to:  People with asthma  Parents of children with asthma  Medical care providers  School staff  Public

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Coalition Successful asthma campaigns need the cooperation of committed partners.

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Advocacy Asthma needs to be addressed comprehensively by multiple government and non-government agencies.

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Interventions  Medical management  Education  Environment  Schools

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Medical Management Interventions Ensure people with asthma know about their disease and are empowered to demand appropriate management

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Environmental Interventions  Help people create and maintain healthy home, school, and work environments.  Environmental interventions may consist of:  Assessments to identify asthma triggers  Education on how to remove asthma triggers  Remediation to remove asthma triggers

A Public Health Response to Asthma: School Intervention Science-Based Guidance  Management and support systems  Health and mental health services  Asthma education for students, staff, and parents  Healthy school environment  Physical education and activity  School, family, and community efforts Source:

Key Aspects  Require team effort  Coordinate health, including mental and physical health, education, environment, family, and community efforts  Assess needs of school and prioritize (every action step is not feasible to every school or district)  Focus on students with frequent asthma symptoms, health room visits, and absenteeism

1. Management & Support Systems Family/Community Involvement Physical Education Nutrition Services Healthy School Environment Health Promotion For Staff Health Education Health Services Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services 4. Healthy School Environment 2. Health & Mental Health Services 3. Asthma Education 6. School, Family, & Community Efforts 5. Physical Education & Activity

A Public Health Response to Asthma: School  A leading chronic disease cause of school absence  Common disease addressed by school nurses  Affects teachers, administrators, nurses, coaches, students, bus drivers, after school program staff, maintenance personnel

are likely to have asthma. * On average, 3 children in a classroom of 30 * Epidemiology and Statistics Unit. Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Mortality. NYC: ALA, July 2006.

A Public Health Response to Asthma: What can make asthma worse in the school?  Mold and mildew  Animals in classroom  Carpeted classrooms  Cockroaches  Poor air quality

Asthma-Friendly School DVD and Toolkit Objectives  Personal stories to relate to viewer  Aspects of an asthma-friendly school  Six strategies for addressing asthma in a coordinated school health program  Potential impact of asthma- friendly schools

A Public Health Response to Asthma: School Actions  Establish policies and procedures to support children with asthma.  Keep students’ asthma action plans at the school.  Make medications available  During school hours  Before physical activity and sports  During before- and after-school programs  On field trips or when away from campus  Train school staff to recognize signs of an asthma attack and to use appropriate medications.

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Evaluation The systematic investigation of the structure, activities, or outcomes of asthma control programs.  Are we doing the right thing?  Are we doing things right?

Benefits of Program Evaluation Evaluations help asthma programs  Manage resources and services effectively  Understand reasons for current performance  Build capacity  Plan and implement new activities  Demonstrate the value of their efforts  Ensure accountability

Using Evaluation to Improve Programs  Highlight effective program components  Recognize achievements  Replicate successes  Assess and prioritize needs  Target program improvements  Advocate for the program

Framework for Program Evaluation

A Public Health Response to Asthma: Summary  Asthma is a complex disease that is not yet preventable or curable.  Asthma can be managed with medication, environmental changes, and behavior modifications.  By working together, we can ensure that people with asthma enjoy a high quality of life.

Resources  National Asthma Education and Prevention Program  / /  Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America   American Lung Association   American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology   Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc. 

Resources  American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology   American College of Chest Physicians   American Thoracic Society   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 