Follow-up of an elementary school intervention for asthma management: How are middle schoolers doing?

The prevalence (10.1%) of asthma among school-aged youth has led many schools to implement asthma management education programs for their students. Although programs can be effective in the short term, retention of the information beyond one year is rarely assessed. Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Macro International, conducted an evaluation of APS's Asthma Management Program using a survey conducted across 3 points in time and focus groups. A primary research question was whether students receiving asthma management education and other services in elementary school (ES) retained knowledge and skills from ES into middle school, especially self-efficacy for asthma management. Middle school students (n =120) who had taken Open Airways for Schools (OAS) in ES completed a follow-up questionnaire and a subset (n = 40) participated in focus groups. Scores for asthma management self-efficacy prior to OAS (pre-intervention) in ES were compared to post-intervention scores in ES and scores at follow-up in middle school. Middle school scores for asthma management self-efficacy were significantly higher than ES pre-test scores, but middle school scores significantly decreased from post-test scores in ES. Focus group interviews provided information on students' perceptions of having asthma and their confidence in dealing with asthma in school. Conclusions: OAS classes were effective, but middle school students could benefit from booster sessions and other support. The findings have implications for school-based programs targeting chronic health conditions, especially asthma.