Sarah Merkle

Strategies for Identifying Students in Need of School-Based Asthma Services Challenges and Questions That Emerged From a Rapid Evaluation of a School-Based Asthma Program

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conducted an evaluation of the CMS Asthma Program. Data were collected during the 200...

Follow-Up of an Elementary School Intervention for Asthma Management: Do Gains Last Into Middle School?

Objective. Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted an evaluation to examine whether students who were exposed to the APS asthma program in elementary school retained benefits into middle school. Methods. APS middle school students who participated in the APS asthma program in elementary school, including the Open Airways for Schools (OAS) education curriculum, responded to a follow-up questionnaire (N = 121) and participated in student focus groups (N = 40). Asthma management self-efficacy scores from the follow-up questionnaire were compared to scores obtained before and after the OAS education component. Additional items assessed students’ asthma symptoms, management skills, avoidance of asthma triggers, and school impact. Results. Although asthma management self-efficacy scores declined in middle school among students exposed to the asthma program in elementary school, they remained significantly higher than scores obtained during elementary school prior to the OAS intervention. Conclusion. The results indicate that although students benefited from the asthma program delivered in elementary school, they need booster sessions and continued school support in middle school.

Asthma in the Schools

As other chapters in this text have illustrated, asthma is affected by a myriad of social and economic factors. It is also greatly influenced by factors in the physical environment of a person with asthma. As children spend a significant amount of time at school, the conditions at school are important for their asthma control. For example, they may experience asthma symptoms or exacerbations while at school and need to take medication. Moreover, they may need to use preventive medication before engaging in physical education activities or take steps to avoid other asthma triggers throughout the day. These precautions often require support from school administrators and assistance from school staff.