Evaluation of an educational program for adolescents with asthma

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Adolescent Health
• Asthma Education

Background:

• Adolescents with asthma face unique challenges in disease management and potential severe outcomes.
• Existing asthma educational programs often do not cater to the specific needs of teenagers.
• School nurses identified a need for targeted asthma interventions for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Power Breathing Program combined with individual coaching for adolescent asthma education.
• To assess changes in general asthma knowledge and health status among participants.
• To explore the perceived benefits and usability of the program from the adolescent perspective.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 13 high school students over 6 months.
• Utilized the Child Health Survey for Asthma, focus group interviews, and program evaluation questionnaires.
• The intervention included the Power Breathing Program and individualized coaching sessions.

Main Results:

• Participants reported enhanced knowledge leading to better trigger avoidance and increased medication adherence.
• A significant decrease in the frequency of asthma episodes was observed.
• Individual coaching sessions were found to be beneficial for information assimilation and application.

Conclusions:

• The Power Breathing Program, supplemented by coaching, demonstrates potential as an effective asthma educational tool for adolescents.
• The program appears to improve key aspects of asthma self-management in teenagers.
• Further evaluation is recommended, with implications for school nursing practice.