Asthma is a leading medical cause o...

Asthma is a leading medical cause of teach absenteeism and the most habitual chronic illness affecting children in the United States. Asthma treatment requires strict adherence to medical regimens, and poor compliance outcomes in frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations. The number of school-based health center has increased in the past decade. These center are designed to provide primary, preventive, and acute care for school-aged children, as well as to treat chronic conditions. lately questions about the effectiveness of this regularity have been raised. Some studies have examined the cost-effectiveness of these health center moreover none using a quasi-experimental design has studied issues Webber and colleagues examined the issues of children with asthma, comparing the inferences of those with and without access to school-based health centers

consideration participants were children who attended six different elementary teachs in Bronx, N.Y., and had been diagnosed with asthma. Four of the elementary place of educations had school-based health centers while the other brace had a traditional school fester Survey instruments were sent to the children's to one's homes collect data. At least three attempts were made to obtain take a view of responses from parents. Information infered included demographic data, whether the child had asthma and, if with equal reason which asthma symptoms were not absent The survey also asked questions concerning pressing necessity department visits, hospitalizations, and medication use during the past year. In addition, absenteeism data were argueed from five of the six schools

Of the 6433 families viewed for the study, 74.2 percent answered The prevalence of asthma in this form into groups was 19.9 percent (949 children). During the previous year, 462 percent (438 children) were treated in the strait department for asthma and 126 percent (120 children) required hospitalization. Children with asthma who attended indoctrinates with school-based health centers had lower rates of hospitalization and missed significantly fewer days of gymnasium than children who did not have access to these health center The average decrease in absenteeism related to asthma was three days in the children who had access to school-based health center No difference was noted between the sum of two units groups in the use of crisis departments for asthma treatment.

The authors deduce that school-based health centers have a positive impact upon the health of children with asthma. They note that these center can remodel asthma-related rates of hospitalization and improve sect attendance.

Webber MP et al. load of asthma in inner-city elementary schoolchildren: do school-based health center make a difference? Arch Pediatr Adolesc M February 2003;157:125-9

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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