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

Abstract #114858

Derek Shendell, DEnv, MPH¹, Mary Beth Love, PhD, MS², Diane R. Estrin, BS³, Debra Ann Russell, BA³, Eric M. Roberts, MD, PhD⁴, Jeni L. Miller, PhD⁵, Cindy S. Tsai⁵, and Vicki Legion⁶. (1) CA State Office, Community Action to Fight Asthma Initiative, 1250 Addison, Suite 112, Berkeley, CA 94702, (510) 644-1609, derek.g.shendell.96@alum.dartmouth.org, (2) Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, HSS 319, San Francisco, CA 94132, (3) CA State Coordinating Office, Community Action to Fight Asthma Initiative, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700, Oakland, CA 94612, (4) Environmental Health Investigations Branch-CA Environmental Health Tracking Program, California Department of Health Services, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700, Oakland, CA 94612, (5) Publications and Training Office, Community Health Works of San Francisco, 1250 Addison, Suite 112, Berkeley, CA 94702, (6) Community Health Works of SF/YES WE CAN, San Francisco State University, Department of Health Education, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

About one in 10 California children under age 18 have been diagnosed with asthma, higher than the nation overall. Environmental factors influence the prevalence and severity of asthma, and likely help cause asthma. Reducing or preventing exposure to known indoor and outdoor environmental asthma triggers can prevent asthma exacerbations, which offers direct and indirect health benefits to asthmatic children and their families. The Community Action to Fight Asthma Initiative (CAFA) has raised public awareness about environmental asthma triggers through outreach and education, and assisted local, regional and state policymakers to identify, develop and implement critical interventions and policies. To support the efforts of four Regional Centers and local asthma coalitions (12 directly funded and 16 that Regional Centers worked with or helped to create), the CAFA State Coordinating Office staff conducted several types of activities in 2004-05. The activities to be described in this presentation include four series of three topical conference calls where CAFA grantees and community partners shared successes, barriers overcome, strategies used, and challenges still faced; three statewide meetings of grantees and technical partners (in the fields of policy, media, and evaluation) and participation at a statewide Asthma Town Hall Meeting; strategic discussions with Regional Center directors; and, various types of communications in support of local resolutions and state policies. These strategies could inform similar evidence-based coordination, education and risk communication efforts nationwide. This presentation is for various public health stakeholders and government agency employees who work with local health and environment coalitions.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to list and describe the major education and communications activities we coordinated to promote informed advocacy and interventions related to environmental triggers of asthma in California, and recognize strategies applicable to their communities.

Keywords: Asthma, Community-Based Public Health

Related Web page: www.calasthma.org

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.