Effect of education on school-age children's and parents' asthma management.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE

Asthma affects 7.4% of school-age children, with poor children or members of ethnic minorities disproportionately affected.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A quasiexperimental, year-long pilot study tested the effectiveness of an intervention that included school-based small-group education for children with home-based education for parents. Pretest and two posttest measures were collected.

RESULTS

Forty-four families completed the study (41% African American, 36% European American, 23% Mexican American), with 46% coming from poor or working-class families. Asthma management in the treatment group was lower than the comparison group at baseline, but improved significantly at 6 months and stabilized at 12 months, a trend that was most pronounced among the poorer children.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Improvements in asthma management point to the need for ongoing asthma education to address learning needs of the children and families.