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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Molly Jacobs Lefevre, MPH¹, Polly Hoppin, ScD¹, and Laurie Stillman, MM². (1) Environmental Health Initiative, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 600 Suffolk St, Lowell, MA 01854, 978-934-4943, mjacobs@envhealth.net, (2) Asthma Regional Council of New England, The Medical Foundation, 622 Washington Street, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02124

The disproportionate burden in hospitalizations and emergency room visit rates among poor, urban minorities has prompted many public health departments to consider new approaches to improve the quality of lives of asthmatics. Studies such as the Inner City Asthma Study and the Seattle-King County Healthy Homes Project documenting the effectiveness of in-home environmental interventions to improve asthma control and reduce adverse asthma events and other healthy homes programs correlating housing condition with asthma have prompted local, county and state health departments to undertake in-home environmental interventions as part of their asthma management programs. On behalf of the New England Asthma Regional Council, the Environmental Health Initiative at the University of Massachusetts Lowell conducted interviews with 10 health departments at the local (N=5), county (N=4) and state (N=1) levels that have an in-home intervention program for asthmatics aimed at reducing exposure to asthma triggers through the use of home inspections and patient education. The purpose of the interviews was to systematically collect and summarize the programs' origins, study design, funding sources and lessons learned in order to encourage the adoption of similar in-home environmental interventions by other health departments. Details from the thematic analysis of the case studies will be presented along with vital lessons learned regarding designing and implementing effective in-home environmental interventions that also address the complex psycho-social conditions affecting participants' health. Highlights from a spring 2006 symposium with health departments discussing opportunities and barriers of these programs will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• Session participants will gain knowledge regarding program design attributes for in-home environmental intervention programs for asthma and suggested solutions to design limitations that were faced by the case studies.

Keywords: Asthma, Healthy Buildings

Related Web page: www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation