Asthma education delivery by preschool center staff: A feasibility pilot study

Asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism among preschool children in underserved minority communities. Interventions composed of monitoring, education, and improved patient-provider partnerships have been recommended to reduce the impact of asthma. Through a four-session training workshop, twelve family workers from three preschool centers in NYC were trained to deliver an asthma education curriculum (INSPIRE) previously delivered by trained health educators, to parents of enrolled preschool children with asthma. Four 45-minute training sessions, lead by an experienced asthma health educator, were conducted at participating preschool centers. Material covered included asthma knowledge, patient-provider communication, and the delivery of an INSPIRE module that addresses different learning needs and different degrees of readiness to control asthma. Upon completion of the training sessions, pretest/posttest measures of asthma knowledge increased by an average of 40%. Monthly follow-up meetings, and a focus group conducted four months after the training sessions, indicated that 25% of family workers reported delivering an INSPIRE module and all expressed increased comfort in discussing asthma with parents. Asthma education was conducted at any point of contact with parents: during intake, parent committee meetings, or by individual appointments. The level of institutional support was associated with the amount of education delivered. This model suggests that family workers may be a new brand of asthma educators. Further studies with a larger sample and in different settings are necessary.