HealthSpark 2: Improving Asthma Care for Preschool Children
Condition: Asthma
MeSH terms: Asthma
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      From a previous community needs survey, we determined that asthma was a particular problem in
      our community-based research network of child care centers. This study will examine whether a
      moderate intervention can help these centers improve their "asthma-friendly" rating as per
      NHLBI guidelines. We will both center directors and parents to establish baseline data on
      child health and the "asthma-friendliness" of each center. We will use a wait-list control,
      with all centers eventually receiving the intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      Asthma is the most common chronic health problem affecting children in the U.S., and it is
      getting worse. Children under the age of 18 years account for one third of the nation's
      asthma sufferers. The percent of children with asthma has increased from 3% in 1981 to 6% in
      2003. Asthma is a leading reason for hospitalizations of children under the age of 15 years
      and causes 14 million days of missed school each year. Previous studies suggest particularly
      high asthma rates among Hispanic and African-American populations. Poverty, increased
      exposure to indoor allergens, low education level, poor access to healthcare, and failure to
      take prescribed medicines increase the likelihood of having a severe asthma attack, or dying
      of asthma.

      According to the results of HealthSpark I, children in the target communities have rates of
      asthma that are more than three times the national average. 29.3% of HealthSpark families
      with children ages 3 to 5 years responded "yes" to the question, "Did a doctor ever tell you
      that your child has asthma?" In a national survey in 2002, only 7.3% of parents with children
      ages 0 to 4 years responded "yes" to the same question. The high rate of asthma among
      HealthSpark families is similar to recent reports of high prevalence in Harlem, NY, and other
      underserved, minority communities.

      Of HealthSpark parents reporting that their child has asthma, 38.7% also reported that their
      child was taking a medication regularly for more than a year. It is reasonable to assume that
      most of these were asthma medications, which suggests that approximately 11.3% of the total
      HealthSpark population has moderate to severe asthma. These children also had high rates of
      comorbidity. HealthSpark children with asthma were twice as likely as children without asthma
      to be limited in their daily activities, and three times as likely to require increased
      medical, educational, and mental health services. HealthSpark children with asthma were also
      two to three times as likely than children without asthma to have early signs of attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

      Our analysis also revealed ethnic differences in asthma prevalence consistent with national
      patterns. African American children were nearly twice as likely to have a diagnosis of asthma
      when compared with Hispanic children (40.6% vs. 23%). None of these findings were related to
      access to child health care. Children with asthma, in fact, had better access to care than
      children without asthma, as demonstrated by the following measures: having a regular source
      of care (99.4% vs 91%), having health insurance (92.5% vs. 88.6%), and having a regular
      doctor that their parents could name (94.0% vs. 86.5%). Children with moderate/severe asthma
      had even better access to care: 98.4% of parents could name their physician and 97% had
      health insurance for their child.

      In 1989, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) was initiated by the
      National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH) to address the growing problem of
      asthma in the United States. To accomplish these broad program goals, the NAEPP works with
      intermediaries including major medical associations, voluntary health organizations, and
      community programs to educate patients, health professionals, and the public. The ultimate
      goal of the NAEPP is to enhance the quality of life for patients with asthma and decrease
      asthma-related morbidity and mortality. As part of this broad program, the NHLBI released
      guidelines for CCCs to provide optimal care for children with asthma. These "asthma-friendly"
      guidelines are at the core of this proposal.

      This project is a community-based intervention to begin to improve asthma care among these
      preschool children. The target population is 2000 children aged 1-5 years who attend the 51
      child care centers that remain as part of the SPARK network.

      The long-term goals of this project are to (a) improve the health of children by improving
      asthma care in the targeted, underserved areas of Miami-Dade County and (b) to enhance
      readiness for school by reducing the burden of asthma and related conditions.

      The specific objectives for this project are:

        1. Document the prevalence, severity, and impact of asthma among preschool children
           attending the 51 SPARK child care centers (CCCs) in Allapatah/Model City and
           Homestead/Florida City.

        2. Identify barriers to optimal asthma care in these children.

        3. Determine how "asthma-friendly" each child care center is according to guidelines of the
           National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH) (see Appendix I).

        4. Work with CCCs and community health clinics to improve clinical outcomes for children
           with asthma.

      Outcomes

        1. We will better understand the prevalence, severity, and impact of asthma among preschool
           children in underserved communities (parent surveys).

        2. We will identify barriers to optimal, community-based asthma care projects (parent
           surveys and CCC survey).

        3. We will increase the number of CCCs that are "asthma-friendly" (CCC surveys, site
           visit).

        4. We will improve clinical outcomes for children with asthma (parent survey).

        5. We will increase the number of children with written asthma plans from an estimated 10%
           to greater than 50%.

      Other outcomes:

      Baseline correlations to identify significant relationships among individual characteristics
      including asthma severity, healthcare utilization, healthcare access, comorbidity, quality of
      life, environmental exposures, maternal health literacy, and maternal education
    

Intervention name(s): Asthma education
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Research assistant worked with CCC staff on asthma prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: child care centers; asthma triggers; community-based research