FIGHT ASTHMA NOW©
This evidence-based, school-based asthma self-management curriculum is designed for youth (3rd – 6th grades) and teens (7th – 12th grades) with asthma.
RHA developed Fight Asthma Now© based on the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) clinical practice guidelines, coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and with input from pediatricians, respiratory therapists, community educators and parents of children with asthma. Fight Asthma Now© teaches children how to identify their asthma symptoms, how to avoid asthma triggers and how to exercise proper medication technique.
Fight Asthma Now© is being used by Los Angeles Unified School District and select schools in Washington D.C. We collaborate with a variety of community and government partners including Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Chicago Park District (CPD) and Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to reach communities with a high burden of asthma, primarily Chicago’s South and West Sides.
RHA conducted a formal validation study of our Fight Asthma Now© program during the 2007-2008 school year, which concluded that the program achieved behavioral change and knowledge gain. This study was published in the October 2011 issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
All participants in Fight Asthma Now© complete a pre- and post-survey to assess knowledge gain and intent for behavior change. Ongoing program evaluation efforts indicate that Fight Asthma Now© increases student understanding of asthma medication and proper medication technique, essential components to asthma management.