This article describes the challenges and strengths of asthma management in 14 low-income, predominantly African American urban elementary schools serving more than 5,000 students. Asthma prevalence was 24.5%. Teachers, school principals, parents, and children described how asthma was managed at school. Data from classmates of students with asthma showed that they had moderate to high levels of information about the disease. Data from teachers indicated the great need for practical instruction on how they might effectively support a child with asthma in the classroom and on the playground. Principals raised concerns about expectations for the functioning of school staff and implementation of school policies especially related to asthma emergencies. Parents reported a range of problems their children face at school. Data from children with asthma showed that 75% believed asthma affected their school work. Findings from this study should be useful to school personnel, health providers, and others who assist children and their families to manage asthma at school. Data suggest that making school nursing services available is warranted, given the impact of asthma on the school community.
This article describes the challenges and strengths of asthma management in 14 low-income, predominantly African American urban elementary schools serving more than 5,000 students. Asthma prevalence was 24.5%. Teachers, school principals, parents, and children described how asthma was managed at school. Data from classmates of students with asthma showed that they had moderate to high levels of information about the disease. Data from teachers indicated the great need for practical instruction on how they might effectively support a child with asthma in the classroom and on the playground. Principals raised concerns about expectations for the functioning of school staff and implementation of school policies especially related to asthma emergencies. Parents reported a range of problems their children face at school. Data from children with asthma showed that 75% believed asthma affected their school work. Findings from this study should be useful to school personnel, health providers, and others who assist children and their families to manage asthma at school. Data suggest that making school nursing services available is warranted, given the impact of asthma on the school community.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.