Published online July 27, 2009
PEDIATRICS Vol. 124 No. 2 August 2009, pp. 729-742 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2085)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Coffman, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Yelin, E. H.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Coffman, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Yelin, E. H.
Related Collections
Right arrow Asthma
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

REVIEW ARTICLE

Do School-Based Asthma Education Programs Improve Self-Management and Health Outcomes?

Janet M. Coffman, MPP, PhDa,b, Michael D. Cabana, MD, MPHa,c and Edward H. Yelin, PhDa,d

a Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and Departments of
b Family and Community Medicine
c Pediatrics
d Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California

CONTEXT: Asthma self-management education is critical for high-quality asthma care for children. A number of studies have assessed the effectiveness of providing asthma education in schools to augment education provided by primary care providers.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the literature on school-based asthma education programs.

METHODS: As our data sources, we used 3 databases that index peer-reviewed literature: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Inclusion criteria included publication in English and enrollment of children aged 4 to 17 years with a clinical diagnosis of asthma or symptoms consistent with asthma.

RESULTS: Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Synthesizing findings across studies was difficult because the characteristics of interventions and target populations varied widely, as did the outcomes assessed. In addition, some studies had major methodologic weaknesses. Most studies that compared asthma education to usual care found that school-based asthma education improved knowledge of asthma (7 of 10 studies), self-efficacy (6 of 8 studies), and self-management behaviors (7 of 8 studies). Fewer studies reported favorable effects on quality of life (4 of 8 studies), days of symptoms (5 of 11 studies), nights with symptoms (2 of 4 studies), and school absences (5 of 17 studies).

CONCLUSIONS: Although findings regarding effects of school-based asthma education programs on quality of life, school absences, and days and nights with symptoms were not consistent, our analyses suggest that school-based asthma education improves knowledge of asthma, self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors.

Key Words: asthma • children • schools • patient education • systematic review

Abbreviations: RCT—randomized, controlled trial • PEDro—Physiotherapy Evidence Database • NHLBI—National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Accepted Nov 26, 2008.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?