Socioeconomic status, particularly poverty appears to be an important contributing factor to asthma morbidity and mortality. Many minority populations, particularly African Americans and Latinos, are at least three times more likely to die of asthma, to be hospitalized because of asthma, and to visit emergency departments because of asthma. Because of this startling disparity, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), through the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) has implemented a partnership program with asthma coalitions in high-risk communities to improve asthma control. This effort is being conducted in order to address the growing asthma problem in inner city and rural areas and is being implemented by means of asthma coalition performance-based projects. The underlying premise of this project is that a more effective public health paradigm for reducing asthma morbidity in high-risk communities involves: 1) the establishment of specific performance goals and measures of success; 2) the development of strategic performance partnerships to strengthen culturally diverse coalitions; 3) the establishment of interactive dissemination networks; and (4) the use of new technologies to facilitate utilization of existing science-based information. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the components of the NHLBI Asthma Coalition Network, the selection of high-risk communities and the performance projects that have been funded. In addition, the presentation will describe a joint effort with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Allies Against Asthma Initiative to define a common set of performance measures for asthma coalitions.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, particiapnts will be able to: 1) Describe the process by which the NAEPP works with asthma coalitions in high-risk communities, 2) List the seven asthma coalitions and their project objectives and strategies to reduce asthma morbidity, and 3) State how the NAEPP Asthma Coalition network functions and relates to the Robert Wood Johnson's Allies Against Asthma Program
Keywords: Asthma, Coalition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute--NIH
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.