The college transition poses unique challenges for young adults with asthma as they move away from their established family healthcare provider, asthma specialist, and family. For students of color, the risk of poor asthma control is multiplied by racial health disparities. The purpose of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Students with Asthma Initiative is to expand the implementation of the ALA’s adult asthma self-management education (AS-ME) program, Breathe Well, Live Well^® (BWLW), to serve college students of color ages 18-25.

ALA is collecting qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the BWLW training and program, among HBCU students with asthma. A post BWLW Facilitator Training survey will assess facilitator confidence among other indicators. The BWLW Pre- and Post-Test and BWLW Participant Evaluation Form will assess student outcomes.

Preliminary results, among 14 trained Facilitators, indicate that 92.9% (n=13) of Facilitators reported feeling “extremely” or “very” confident in their ability to deliver asthma education to adults after the training compared to 28.6% (n=4) of Facilitators who reported feeling “extremely” or “very” confident before the training. To date, 43 students have completed the BWLW program representing 6 HBCUs. After analyzing student evaluation data, we expect to report improved asthma outcomes and increased student knowledge, confidence, and skills.

Through the HBCU Students with Asthma Initiative, we aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of the BWLW training and program when specific adaptations are made to serve college students of color. We hope this nationwide initiative continues to build evidence for a replicable and scalable BWLW program.