Comparison of Asthma Programs for Schools

Summary

The purpose was to evaluate effectiveness and impact of an academic and counseling asthma health education program (SHARP) for fourth- and fifth-grade students diagnosed with asthma. Students attending schools randomized to the low-dose control condition received Open Airways for Schools (OAS). The first aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of SHARP, compared to the low-dose group, for students on cognitive, psychosocial, and behavioral aspects of asthma management at 1, 12, and 24 months post-intervention. We hypothesized that compared to students enrolled in elementary schools who received the low-dose program, students in elementary schools that received SHARP would increase asthma knowledge (cognition) and logical reasoning abilities for managing acute episodes (cognition), acceptance of asthma as a chronic condition (psychosocial), and use of effective asthma health behaviors (behavior). The second aim was to evaluate the long-term impact of SHARP, compared to the low-dose group, for students on condition characteristics, use of healthcare services, and quality of life at 12 and 24 months post intervention. We hypothesized that compared to students enrolled in elementary schools who received the low-dose program; students in elementary schools who received SHARP would decrease asthma severity, use of healthcare services, and school absenteeism due to asthma, and increase participation in life activities (quality of life).

Conditions

• Asthma
• Reactive Airway Disease

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

SHARP program

Staying Healthy-Asthma Responsible and Prepared is an academic and counseling asthma health education program for older school-age students with asthma and members of their social networks including their family caregivers.

BEHAVIORAL

Open Airways for Schools

OAS is a non-academic asthma health education program for elementary students with asthma and their parents.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Texas at Austin

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Eileen K Kintner, PhD · The University of Texas at Austin

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

9 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-09-30

Primary Completion

2013-07-31

Completion

2014-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations