Outcomes of an asthma program: Healthy Children, Healthy Homes.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To test the effects of the Healthy Children Healthy Homes program on community perception of susceptibility and severity of asthma, knowledge of common household asthma triggers, misconceptions about asthma, and reported behaviors to control asthma triggers. DESIGN: Quasi experimental study with pre-post survey conducted in English and Spanish. LOCATION Catholic elementary school community in northern Miami, Florida. SELECTION AND SAMPLE Convenience sample of 15 Asthma Amigo participants, and pre-post survey sample of 100 parents, teachers, and school staff. INTERVENTION Program consists of two 90-minute educational sessions with Asthma Amigos, 8-week diffusion of asthma information in the community, educational sessions with 276 school children (grades 1 to 8), and an asthma fair. FINDINGS: Compared to pre-intervention, post-intervention data indicated significantly greater perceived asthma susceptibility and knowledge about common household triggers and fewer asthma misconceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy Children Healthy Homes program can be a valuable tool in asthma prevention and management.