257417 Datasharing to inform school-based asthma services

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM

Sharon Portwood, JD, PhD , Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Ellissa Brooks Nelson, MA , Institute for Social Capital, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
School-based interventions that offer a spectrum of services, including identifying students with asthma, supervising medication, case management, and education on disease management, can play a vital role in ensuring that students with asthma have the same educational opportunities as their peers and lead to improved academic performance. However, efforts to evaluate the outcomes of school-based programs face many challenges, including the difficult task of collecting and managing data. With an emphasis on effective strategies for conducting empirically sound outcome evaluation of school health interventions, this paper will examine lessons learned from a collaborative project involving a large urban school district, its county health department, and multiple community partners to establish an effective system for datasharing to inform evaluation of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Asthma Education Program (AEP). Results demonstrated a number of positive findings, including evidence that, consistent with program objectives, students with elevated levels of need received priority from AEP. Findings from analyses of changes across time in students' grade-point averages and absences, as well as their implications, will be discussed. Importantly, separate analyses for those students with a baseline GPA below 2.5 demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in grades. Additional analyses for those students who received case management services demonstrated further program benefits in the areas of attendance, academic performance, behavior, and quality of life. Specific recommendations for obtaining and using high quality data, integrating data across multiple resources, and leveraging existing data resources will be presented.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related nursing
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify effective strategies for conducting empirically sound outcome evaluation of school-based health interventions; Examine results and lessons learned from a collaborative project involving a large urban school district, its county health department, and multiple community partners, which entailed datasharing and the integration of databases across project partners for purposes of evaluating the impact of a school-based asthma intervention on students’ academic performance; and Demonstrate effective strategies for using existing resources, including data, to inform outcome evaluation of school-based health programs.

Keywords: Evaluation, Asthma

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My research reflects an integration of my training and practice in law, psychology, and public health applied to a broad spectrum of issues involving children, youth, and families. I have authored publications and presented my work both nationally and internationally. I have been the principal or co-principal investigator for multiple funded projects, including several funded by the federal government. I have also consulted with numerous government and not-for-profit agencies on evaluation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.