Benefits of a school-based asthma treatment program in the absence of secondhand smoke exposure: results of a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Daily maintenance medications are recommended for all children with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma; however, poor adherence to these medications is common.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of school-based provision of inhaled corticosteroids on asthma severity among urban children with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma.

Design: Children aged 3 to 7 years with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma were identified at the start of the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 school years in Rochester.

A potential pitfall in provider assessments of the quality of asthma control.

Background: Pediatricians elicit information about asthma control from parents to help formulate management plans. If parents of children with significant asthma symptoms inappropriately indicate good control, physician recommendations may not be optimal. We examined whether a single general question about asthma control might lead to inaccurate assessment of severity.

Providers underestimate symptom severity among urban children with asthma.

Background: Guidelines recommend that children with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma receive maintenance anti-inflammatory medications. However, providers may not be aware of the severity of their patients' symptoms. The underestimation of severity may contribute to poor adherence to asthma care guidelines.