A practitioner-based asthma intervention program with African American inner-city school children.

Introduction: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic illness, affecting more than 7 million children younger than 17 years. Asthma has become a leading public health concern because of the dramatic rise in the incidence of this disease during the past 15 years, particularly in minority populations. This study tested a two-part intervention on selected psychosocial and health outcomes of 8- to 13-year-old inner city minority students with asthma.

Method: The intervention consisted of participation in an asthma education program (Open Airways) followed by 5 monthly visits with a nurse practitioner. The total sample of 52 children was composed of 28 children in the treatment group who received the intervention and 24 children who served as a control group.

Results: Students in the treatment group scored significantly higher than the control group over time on measures of asthma knowledge, asthma self-efficacy, general self-care practices, and asthma self-care practices. No significant differences were found between the two groups on health outcomes.

Discussion: A school-based intervention program can improve psychosocial outcomes for inner-city minority children with asthma. Recommendations for future research and clinical practice are discussed.