Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111883

Barbara M. Kaplan, MPH, CHES, Research & Program Services, American Lung Association, 1150 18th Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036, 202-785-3355, bkaplan@lungusadc.org, Connie L. Kohler, DrPH, Department of Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, RPHB 227, 1530 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, Susan L. Davies, PhD, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd., Suite 227, Birmingham, AL 35294, Joan Mangan, MST, Department of Epidemiology, Gorgas TB Initiative, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd., Ryals Building, Suite 217, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, and Lynn Gerald, PhD, Lung Health Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, NHB 104, 1530 3rd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-7337.

Asthma remains a health problem of staggering proportions. One of the basic steps toward asthma management is asthma education. While there have been numerous programs and initiatives targeting children with asthma there is a lack of comparable focus on the needs of adults with asthma. The goal of the American Lung Association's three-year CDC-funded grant project is to adopt and disseminate a validated adult asthma education program. In year one of the project, we identified the educational needs of adults with asthma, identified and analyzed existing adult asthma education programs, and selected one that was best suited for adaptation and dissemination. Year two focused on translating the validated clinic-based intervention into a community-based program. The American Lung Association has just concluded the final phase of the project - evaluating the American Lung Association Breathe Well, Live Well program in six local Lung Association sites representing diverse communities across the country. A formative evaluation was conducted to determine the acceptability and feasibility of the program materials and implementation processes, and to collect preliminary data on the potential efficacy of the program to improve self-management knowledge and practices among adults with asthma.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Briefly describe the process of adopting and disseminating an adult asthma education program for adults.
• Discuss the results from the formative evaluation of the American Lung Association Breathe Well, Live Well program.
• Identify the successes and challenges of implementing the American Lung Association Breathe Well, Live Well program.

Keywords: Asthma, Adult Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.