Efficacy of the school-based academic and counseling program, Staying Healthy-Asthma Responsible & Prepared

Significance: Nine million U.S. children under age 18 years have been diagnosed with asthma. An innovative, comprehensive, theory-driven, evidenced-based, school-based, 10-session academic and counseling program developed in collaboration with school personnel for diverse students diagnosed with asthma and their family caregivers was developed: “Staying Healthy–Asthma Responsible & Prepared” (SHARP). The Acceptance of Asthma Model and Life-span Development perspective guided development and implementation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate efficacy of the program. Methods: A quasi-experimental descriptive design was used. The sample of grade 6-7 students with asthma (N=30), age 11-13 years (M=11.6, SD=.51) from 5 elementary and 1 middle schools, and their family caregivers had 50% males, 50% African American, and 30% Caucasian. Family annual income ranged from <$K to >$100K (M=$22K, SD= $10K). Elementary schoolteachers served as interveners for this program that includes spelling, math, reading, and writing. Data were collected using audio-linked data-entry systems on notebook computers. Results: Pre- to post-evaluation of participants who completed 7-10 sessions demonstrated significant improvements in student knowledge and reasoning about asthma, and use of effective risk reduction and episode management behaviors (all p<.01), and trends to improvement in student acceptance by taking control (p=.08) and parent knowledge (p=.06). Implications: Elements of the program were refined prior to further testing. An interactive guided “beliefs about asthma” discussion during session seven and expanded personal sharing time during the final session replaced two videos. A two-group, longitudinal, prospective, randomized, experimental clinical trial is underway to evaluate efficacy of the revised program.