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GLENN ELLIS STRATEGIES FOR WELL BEING: Back to School and Asthma
*As the days wind down for summer, and talk in households around the country turns to preparing fir back-to-school, many parents and kids are preparing for another school year with the challenges of Asthma.
Asthma is a reversible lung disease caused by the narrowing or blocking of the lung's airways, often as a response to various triggers. Asthma triggers vary from person to person, but may include cigarette and other smoke, mold, pollens, dust, animal dander, exercise, cold air, household and industrial products, air pollutants and infections. These and other kinds of triggers can lead to spasms in the lungs, causing asthma attacks. Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, and can be life-threatening if not properly managed.
Though asthma is a manageable condition, it can be life-threatening. In addition, there are disparities in the burden of asthma. Although asthma affects Americans of all ages, races, and ethnic groups, low-income and minority populations experience substantially higher rates of fatalities, hospital admissions and emergency room visits due to asthma.
African-American children ages 4 and younger are six times as likely as Whites to die of the disease. And those who don't die are hospitalized more often than their White counterparts.
Some studies indicate that the difference in risk exists simply because African-Americans and other minority groups are more likely to live in urban areas. Poverty and lack of access to health care may also play a role.
However, white children who live in cities also face a high risk for asthma, and interestingly, rural African-American children do not.
The statistics support these impressions. Since 1980, the number of Americans with asthma more than doubled, to almost fifteen million, with children under five years old experiencing the highest rate of increase.
Reasons for these increasing rates are unclear. Not only does asthma keep children in fear and pain – it keeps them out of school. In a classroom with 30 children, there are likely to be at least two with asthma. This contributes to over 10 million school days lost to asthma each year.
And the problem is not limited to children. Asthma is the leading work-related lung disease. Moreover, the disease kills approximately 5,000 Americans and results in three quarters of a million hospitalizations every year.
The burden of this chronic disease is felt everyday at the individual level, whether it's a frightening asthma attack or the constant vigilance and adherence to treatment plans required to keep it under control. Asthma is the most common chronic illness and the number one cause for hospitalization and prescribed therapy among children.
Among the many reasons we are seeing this epidemic, is the lack of education by both parents and their children about asthma, and the poor record for the medical management of the disease. This is most evident, than among inner-city populations. The prevalence of low education level, non-compliance and disparities in access to treatment continue to make this problem worse.
In order to address these growing disparities, we, as a society, must begin to look at, and embrace innovative ways to make an impact. Asthma need not continue to hold our children hostage as it has in the past. Modern medicine, diet, lifestyle modifications and other factors can make a difference. We have to try new approaches.
There are too many resources available; too much health information and education around; and most importantly, too many children not living fully productive lives.
One source for parents and their asthmatic children to become better informed and educated about asthma, is the internet. There are many credible sources of information available.
Everydaykidz.com is a free program from drug maker AstraZeneca, which provides families living with asthma with the support and facts they need in a fun and innovative way. Created with children 1 to 8 years old in mind, the Everydaykidz.com Web site educates parents and kids about asthma in an interactive, entertaining way, through videos, crafts, games, stories and activities – all specifically designed to help asthma treatment become a non-frightening part of a child's daily routine.
The program is a helpful resource for parents who want to learn how to help manage their child’s asthma effectively.
In light of the disproportionate impact of asthma on inner-city children, innovative programs like Healthy Hoops can make a difference. The Health Hoops program, developed by Keystone Mercy Health Plan in 2003, offers a means of improving the health status of children with asthma. It is a mini-basketball camp that provides screening and education began with a targeted group of children from West Philadelphia. At the time, this area of the city was found to have the children with the highest incidence of asthma in the city.
The kids participated in a basketball camp led by coaches from local college basketball teams, along with Sonny Hill, Founder of the Sonny Hill Basketball League. While the kids were learning the fundamentals of the game (many for the first time!), parents participated in workshops which gave them much needed information and education on diet, medication management, and other valuable tools to empower them to provide proper care for their asthma-challenged child.
This program has been since spread annually to include other parts of the Philadelphia area. The Healthy Hoops Program has received local and national recognition as an innovative asthmatic education/outreach program. Recent results show a 35% reduction in rescue medication use among kids who participated over the three years.
These are but two examples of effective strategies for challenging the asthma epidemic. It is now time for this type of thinking to be embraced by communities, corporations, and health entities across the nation.
Parents take heed and do your best to help your child have a healthy, productive, and physically active school-year.
Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one.
Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!
Glenn Ellis lectures and is an active media contributor nationally and internationally on health related topics, including health education and health promotion particularly relevant to the African-American community.
e-mail me at info@glennellis.com
For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com
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