1. 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.

2. 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?

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

4. 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

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

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

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

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

9. 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

10. 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: www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma/strategies

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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?

19. 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

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

21. Framework for Program Evaluation

22. 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.

23. Resources  National Asthma Education and Prevention Program  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp / http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp /  Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America  http://www.aafa.org http://www.aafa.org  American Lung Association  http://www.lungusa.org http://www.lungusa.org  American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology  http://www.aaaai.org http://www.aaaai.org  Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.  http://www.aanma.org http://www.aanma.org

24. Resources  American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology  http://www.acaai.org http://www.acaai.org  American College of Chest Physicians  http://www.chestnet.org http://www.chestnet.org  American Thoracic Society  http://www.thoracic.org http://www.thoracic.org  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  http://www.cdc.gov/asthma http://www.cdc.gov/asthma