NAEPP Coordinating Committee
School Asthma Education Slide Set
- NAEPP Coordinating Committee
- School Asthma Education Slide Set
- Asthma is a Major Public Health Problem
- Nearly 5 million children have asthma (6.9% of children under 18)
- It is one of the most common chronic childhood illnesses
- It is a leading cause of school absences
- In a classroom of 30 children, 2 or more children are likely to
have asthma
- What is Asthma?
- A disease that:
- Is chronic
- Produces recurring episodes of breathing problems
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Cannot be cured, but can be controlled
- What are the Symptoms of Asthma?
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Tightness in the chest
- Coughing at night or after physical activity; cough that lasts
more than a week
- Waking at night with asthma symptoms (a key marker of
uncontrolled asthma)
- What Happens During an Episode of Asthma?
- The lining of the airways becomes swollen (inflamed)
- The airways produce a thick mucus
- The muscles around the airways tighten and make airways narrower
- What Makes Asthma Worse?
- Allergens
- Warm-blooded pets (including dogs, cats, birds, and small
rodents)
- House dust mites
- Cockroaches
- Pollens from grass and trees
- Molds (indoors and outdoors)
- What Makes Asthma Worse? (cont.)
- Irritants
- Cigarette smoke and wood smoke
- Scented products such as hair spray, cosmetics, and cleaning
products
- Strong odors from fresh paint or cooking
- Automobile fumes and air pollution
- Chemicals such as pesticides and lawn treatments
- What Makes Asthma Worse? (cont.)
- Infections in the upper airways, such as colds
(a common
trigger for both children and adults)
- Exercise
- Strong expressions of feelings (crying, laughing)
- Changes in weather and temperature
- Is There A Cure For Asthma?
- Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled.
- You should not expect nothing less.
- How Is Asthma Controlled?
- Follow an individualized asthma management plan
- Avoid or control exposure to things that make asthma worse
- Use medication appropriately
- Long-term-control medicine
- Quick-relief medicine
- How Is Asthma Controlled? (cont.)
- Monitor response to treatment
- Symptoms
- Peak flow
- Get regular follow-up care
- How are Asthma Episodes Controlled?
- Know the signs that asthma is worsening
- Treat symptoms or drop in peak flow at first signs of worsening
- Monitor response to therapy
- Seek a doctor's help when it is needed
- What Should People with Asthma Be Able To Do?
- Be active without having asthma symptoms;
this includes
participating in exercise and sports
- Sleep through the night without having asthma symptoms
- Prevent asthma episodes (attacks)
- Have the best possible lung function (e.g., good peak flow
number)
- Avoid side effects from asthma medicines
- Asthma Goals For School Health
- Healthy school environment
- Health services in school
- Asthma education
- Supportive policies
- Sound communication
- Goal: Healthy School Environment
- Enforce no-smoking policies
- Reduce exposures to triggers: tobacco smoke, chemical vapors,
furry or
feathered animals, mites, cockroaches, chalk dust, mold
- Keep temperature and humidity at appropriate settings
- Maintain HVAC systems
- Dry up damp and wet areas within 1-2 days
- Goal: Health Services in School
- Provide full-time nursing services
- Include nursing assessments, care plans in student records
- Teach and monitor correct inhaler techniques, peak flow meter use
- Train, supervise and delegate to health assistants and education
staff, as appropriate
- Goal: Asthma Education
- Provide asthma awareness for all students
- Teach asthma management to students with asthma
- Provide asthma education for faculty and staff
- Teach parents how to manage asthma
- Goal: Supportive Policies
- Identify students with asthma
- Provide quick, reliable access to medications
- Establish individualized student asthma management plan
- Establish individualized student emergency plan for asthma
episodes
- Promote safe and full participation in all school activities
- Monitor students' asthma
- Supportive Policies
- Identify Students
- Review student health records
- Interview parents
- Interview school health staff
- Supportive Policies
- Provide Access to Medication
- Ensure reliable access to medication for all school activities
- Allow self-administration as appropriate
- Provide for nebulizer treatment as needed
- Supportive Policies
- Establish Student Asthma Management Plan
- Address triggers
- Record personal best peak flow.
- Specify routine medications.
- Outline signs and symptoms of worsening asthma
- Specify medications required for emergencies and how to monitor
response to them.
- Indicate emergency contacts
- Place plan in student's health record
- Make copies for off-campus activities
- Supportive Polices
- Establish Plan for Asthma Episodes
- Develop school wide emergency plans/procedures
- Include respiratory distress treatment protocols
- Include plan for someone without an individualized plan
- Include an emergency plan for asthma episodes
in the
individualized student asthma management plan.
- Supportive Policies
- Promote Participation in All Activities, including Physical
Activities
- Encourage student participation
- Allow pretreatment and or warm-up before physical activity
- Allow access to quick relief medication
- Modify activity or substitute with less strenuous option
- Supportive Policies
- Monitor Students' Asthma
- Watch for symptoms of uncontrolled asthma
- Monitor absenteeism due to asthma
- Refer for home teaching as needed
- Goal: Sound Communication
- Form linkages among school, home and health care providers
- Observe and report symptoms, medication use
- Review difficulties student may have with daily school management
plan
- Resolve problems with school performance related to asthma
- Encourage active student participation in school activities
- Asthma Resources For School Health
- National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
(NAEPP)
Website and Materials Start at www.nhlbi.nih.gov
- Check out health information for lung diseases
NAEPP Partner
Organization Website and Materials Start at www.nhlbi.nih.gov
- Go to NAEPP homepage; click on "roster" to link with partners