Medication use patterns among urban youth participating In school-based asthma education

Proper medication adherence is a critical component of asthma management. National guidelines recommend daily use of anti-inflammatory (“controller”) medications by children who have persistent asthma. Short-acting bronchodilators (“reliever” medications) are recommended for all children with asthma to mitigate symptoms during exacerbations, as well as before physical activity to prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms. Non-adherence can result in poor management of asthma. The goal of this analysis is to determine whether a school-based asthma education program for middle school students can improve understanding and appropriate use of asthma medication. Kickin' Asthma is a school-based asthma education program conducted in Oakland, CA. Prior to taking part in the intervention, participants complete a pre-test report of controller and reliever use. Asthma educators record specific medications participants take when they “feel fine,” “have symptoms,” and “before exercise.” Data from pre-tests were compared to post-test data collected three months after classes ended to determine if there was an increase in appropriate medication use after the intervention. Comparing pre- and post-intervention data, 34% of students had improved controller use, 25% had improved reliever medicine use when feeling symptoms (p=0.0015), and 47% had improved reliever medicine use before exercise (p<0.001). Although post-test data showed improvement in medication use in all three categories, significant improvement only occurred in the categories of reliever use, both for symptoms and before exercise. These results suggest that school-based asthma education can result in more effective use of asthma medication among program participants.