A public heatlh approach to controlling asthma

CDC created the National Asthma Control Program (NACP) in 1999 to launch a public health response to control asthma. The NACP aims to reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school or work days missed, and limitations on activities due to asthma. The program supports the goals and objectives of Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020 for asthma. The program does this by developing and implementing evidence-based best practices that reduce asthma-related morbidity and mortality, and continually enhancing surveillance systems to monitor our progress. The CDC NACP funds grantees in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for 5 years to help CDC meet these goals and objectives. Highlights of the program include collecting surveillance data used to plan, target, implement, and evaluate interventions; providing critical partnership support to state health departments to ensure that asthma control and management programs are available to those in need; implementing scientifically proven interventions; conducting basic research to help target asthma control efforts; providing technical support for research activities; and offering ongoing asthma training and educational activities and resources for state programs and other partners. Through NACP participation, states use the public health approach to reduce the burden of asthma by implementing interventions to achieve positive health effects, such as reducing the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school or work days missed, and limitations on activity due to asthma.