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Working with a Head Start population with asthma: lessons learned

Belinda W Nelson1, Noreen M Clark, Melissa A Valerio

  • 1University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. belindan@umich.edu

The Journal of School Health
|August 22, 2006
PubMed

Insights

The Early Childhood Asthma Project identified probable asthma in 30% of Detroit Head Start children. However, the asthma management intervention faced significant implementation challenges and was unsuccessful.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Public Health Interventions
  • Early Childhood Education

Background:

  • Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory disease in children.
  • Effective asthma management in early childhood is crucial for long-term health.
  • Head Start programs serve at-risk populations, offering a potential venue for health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify asthma cases among children enrolled in Head Start centers in Detroit, MI.
  • To implement and evaluate an intervention aimed at improving asthma management by families.
  • To understand barriers to intervention implementation in this specific setting.

Main Methods:

  • Asthma case identification through parent surveys in 35 Head Start centers.
  • Distribution of 3408 surveys, with 2198 complete responses received.
  • Attempted implementation of a family-centered asthma management intervention.

Main Results:

  • Probable asthma was detected in 30% of children with sufficiently complete survey data.
  • The asthma management intervention was unsuccessful in this Head Start setting.
  • Key barriers included low parent participation and high attrition, limited Head Start staff involvement, program design factors, and parental beliefs about asthma.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of Head Start children in Detroit exhibit probable asthma.
  • Implementing asthma management interventions in Head Start settings presents substantial challenges.
  • Addressing barriers related to participation, personnel, program design, and cultural beliefs is essential for future intervention success.

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