 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Elaine J. Yuen, PhD, Salvatore Mangione, MD, and Sarah Mathew, BA. Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Suite 119, 1025 Walnut Street, Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-955-9405, elaine.yuen@mail.tju.edu
OBJECTIVE: Thomas Jefferson University’s AsthmaBUS community outreach program has partnered with the School District of Philadelphia to increase asthma awareness, education and prevention through an innovative ‘classroom-on-wheels.’ This study reports data on asthma prevalence.
POPULATION: 4,434 fifth graders in 50 Philadelphia public schools were given asthma education and surveyed on the prevalence of their asthma symptoms in 2000-2001.
METHODS: The AsthmaBUS, a refurbished double-decker London bus, visited public middle schools in Philadelphia, primarily in poor and underserved areas. An asthma educator showed groups of children a video developed and validated by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC). Responses to the video provided prevalence information on various asthma symptoms, and self-reporting of the disease.
FINDINGS: 25.7% of the children surveyed reported that they had been told they had asthma in their life. Children who were black and Hispanic (26.5% and 31.5% respectively, p<.0001); males (28.2%, p=.0003) and those who experimented with tobacco (29.9%, p=.0012) were more likely to have been told they had asthma. Over half of the children who screened positive for asthma in the last year using one of three video vignettes were unaware of having the disease (53.2%, p<.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Through screening with the ISAAC video, we have identified a large number of children with asthma symptoms who are unaware that they may have asthma, and who are untreated. This project demonstrates the extent of asthma prevalence in underserved urban areas, and the value of a school-based outreach program that can increase disease awareness.
Learning Objectives:
Related Web page: jeffline.tju.edu/CWIS/crmehc/the_asthmabus.htm
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.