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Are we ready for universal school-based asthma screening?: An outcomes evaluation.
Barbara P Yawn1, Peter Wollan, Paul Scanlon
1Olmsted Medical Center, 210 Ninth St SE, Rochester, MN 55904, USA. yawnX002@tc.umn.edu
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|November 28, 2002
Summary
School-based asthma screening did not increase new asthma diagnoses in children. While parents participated, few referred children received follow-up medical visits for potential asthma.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism.
- Undiagnosed asthma contributes to the school health burden.
- Effective screening is needed to identify affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess school-based asthma screening effectiveness.
- To identify children with unrecognized asthma.
- To facilitate new asthma diagnoses.
Main Methods:
- Controlled trial of school-based screening.
- Utilized mailed parent surveys and medical record review.
- Tracked new asthma diagnoses.
Main Results:
- 80% parent survey response rate; 19.4% reported prior asthma diagnosis.
- 7.6% of children referred for evaluation; 11.6% had parent-initiated visits.
- Overall new asthma diagnosis rate was 0.9%, not significantly different from controls.
Conclusions:
- School-based asthma screening did not increase asthma diagnosis rates.
- Parental participation was high, but follow-up referrals were low.
- Screening did not improve asthma identification in this population.