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![]() National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ![]() ![]() |
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Asthma is a leading chronic illness among children and youth in the United States. In 2007, 5.6 million school-aged children and youth (5-17 years old) were reported to currently have asthma; and 2.9 million had an asthma episode or attack within the previous year.1 On average, in a classroom of 30 children, about 3 are likely to have asthma. In addition:
Addressing Asthma [pdf 2.1MB] ![]()
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Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
The YRBSS monitors behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading
causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in
the United States. This biennial national, state, and school-based survey
includes questions to measure lifetime asthma, current asthma, and asthma
episodes and attacks.
National Health Interview Survey
This survey, conducted annually by interviewers of the U. S. Census
Bureau for the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, collects
data for all family members during face-to-face interviews. Additional
information about children is collected for one randomly selected child
per family in face-to-face interviews with an adult proxy respondent
familiar with the child’s health, including asthma related issues.
Strategies for Addressing Asthma Within a Coordinated School Health Program offers concrete suggestions for schools working to improve the health and school attendance of students with asthma. The six strategies identified by the CDC can be effective whether your program is for the entire school district or just one school.
Resources for Addressing Asthma in Schools [pdf 742K] provides a list of CDC and other federal and nonfederal publications and website links for addressing asthma in schools. This list provides valuable resources, but it is not intended to be exhaustive.
Initiating Change: Creating an
Asthma-Friendly School is a toolkit developed to help advocates at
the district and school levels persuade people in their schools and
communities of the importance of asthma-friendly schools.
Managing Asthma in Schools—What Have We Learned? This special issue of the American School Health Association’s Journal of School Health features more than 25 research articles, brief reports, and case studies that cover a range of activities, such as asthma education programs for students and staff members, asthma-related health services, and policy changes. It also includes a list of resources for school-based asthma programs.
See School Health Guidelines: Tobacco Use for strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use and addiction among young people. Tobacco smoke can trigger asthma episodes.
The School Health Index, which now includes a section on asthma, can help schools implement school health guidelines and strategies. This self-assessment and planning tool enables schools to identify the strengths and weaknesses of health promotion policies and programs and assists schools in developing an action plan for improving the school environment.
Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT). The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) can help school districts, schools, and others conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of health education curricula based on the National Health Education Standards and CDC’s Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula. The HECAT results can help schools select or develop appropriate and effective health education curricula and improve the delivery of health education to address asthma and other health education topics. The HECAT can be customized to meet local community needs and conform to the curriculum requirements of the state or school district.
Potentially Effective Interventions for Asthma Control provides information on methodology for identification of the interventions, results, lessons learned, information on the interventions themselves, a bibliography of reviewed literature, and case studies of several interventions. It includes interventions targeting children and schools.
Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools is intended to assist schools that are planning or maintaining an asthma management program. This guide provides follow-up steps for schools that currently identify students with asthma through health forms or emergency cards or plan to do so. It is designed to offer practical information to school staff members of every position.
CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) supports the development and implementation of effective health promotion policies and programs that address priority health topics among youth. See DASH-funded state, territorial, and local agencies and tribal governments and national nongovernmental organizations.
CDC’s National Asthma Control Program, funded through the National Center for Environmental Health, supports the goals and objectives of Healthy People 2010 for asthma: to reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school or work days missed, and limitations on activity due to asthma. Federally funded state asthma control programs and CDC are conducting asthma tracking, intervention, partnership, and public health research activities.
Steps to a HealthierUS is an initiative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that advances the goal of helping Americans live longer, better, and healthier lives. The Steps Cooperative Agreement Program funds 40 communities nationwide to implement school and other community-based programs that address obesity, diabetes, and asthma, as well as their related risk behaviors: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use.
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Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link. |
Documents on this page are available in Portable Document Format (PDF). Learn more about viewing and printing these documents with Acrobat Reader. |
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Page last reviewed: August 14, 2009
Division of Adolescent
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