Improving Asthma Outcomes in School-aged Children Through Use of the American Lung Association Let's Take Control of Asthma Flip Chart

Authors: Joseph Murtha, Grace Donnelly, Jasmine Shek

Field of Study: Nursing

Program Affiliation: Nursing Undergraduate Research Seminar

Faculty Mentors: Judith Quaranta, Rosa Darling

Easel: 110

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: In 2021, the CDC found that approximately 4.6 million children in the US were diagnosed with asthma, causing 270,330 ED visits and 27,055 hospitalizations. Poorly managed asthma increases absenteeism and decreases participation in extracurricular activities. It has been proven that quality asthma education greatly enhances children and families’ likelihood of proper management. This pilot study used pretest-posttest design, centered around 20 minute education sessions using the Asthma Flip Chart from the American Lung Association (NYSCAI). Data was collected pre-session, post-session, and 6 weeks post-session, on asthma knowledge, level of asthma control, and child wellbeing. The results for this study (initial pretest/posttest) are as follows: T-tests for paired samples (N=6) indicates a significant increase in asthma knowledge scores (M=7.3 pretest and 8.8 posttest), p=.017. Therefore, ALA’s Asthma Flipchart is an effective and feasible way to educate children about asthma management, empowering them to make informed health decisions for improved individual outcomes and overall community health.