Effect of education on school-age children's and parents' asthma management.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: Asthma affects 7.4% of school-age children, with poor children or members of ethnic minorities disproportionately affected.

DESIGN AND METHODS: A quasiexperimental, year-long pilot study tested the effectiveness of an intervention that included school-based small-group education for children with home-based education for parents. Pretest and two posttest measures were collected.

RESULTS: Forty-four families completed the study (41% African American, 36% European American, 23% Mexican American), with 46% coming from poor or working-class families. Asthma management in the treatment group was lower than the comparison group at baseline, but improved significantly at 6 months and stabilized at 12 months, a trend that was most pronounced among the poorer children.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Improvements in asthma management point to the need for ongoing asthma education to address learning needs of the children and families.