While many asthma research interventions have focused on reducing household indoor environmental triggers for children's asthma, few have emphasized an individualized approach to reducing these triggers. This presentation will focus on the Community Action Against Asthma (CAAA), a project of the Michigan Center for the Environment and Children's Health. CAAA's household intervention employs Community Environmental Specialists (CES) who visit these intervention homes a minimum of 9 times in the first year and 3 times in the second year of the intervention. To guide the work of the CES, an individualized plan for each child's household has been developed jointly with the caregiver. This plan combines data (such as results of the child's allergy skintest, a household dust sample, the caregiver's responses on a baseline survey, a household environmental assessment tool) with the caregiver's preferences. Through this plan, the CES's are better able to receive "buy-in" from the caregiver and thus tailor the activities in their visit (e.g., education on asthma and indoor environmental triggers; supplies (such as vacuum cleaners, mattress covers, cleaning supplies), integrated pest management (IPM) services, referrals to social service/health agencies; and social support) to emphasize those changes likely to impact the child's asthma symptoms. Year 1 intervention results will be presented and benefits and challenges of this tailored intervention approach for reducing indoor environmental asthma triggers will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: 1. List the main indoor environmental triggers for childhood asthma. 2. Describe the benefits and challenges of a tailored approach to reducing indoor environmental triggers for asthma. 3. Describe the types of activities that can be undertaken to reduce indoor environmental triggers for childhood asthma.
Keywords: Asthma, Community-Based Partnership
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.