Improving Asthma in Hispanic Families Through a Home-Based Educational Intervention

Genny Carrillo, Emily Spence-Almaguer, Rose L. Lucio, Betty Chong-Menard, Kenneth Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Hidalgo County, located in Health Service Region 11 in the Rio Grande Valley near the Texas-Mexico border, has a high asthma hospitalization rate, with an age-adjusted hospitalization rate of 13.4% (12.5-14.3%) per 10,000. Methods: A longitudinal nonrandomized design was used, and a holistic and home-based approach was developed and implemented in the County to educate a targeted population of families with children diagnosed with asthma. Results: There were statistically significant improvements in knowledge, asthma symptoms, asthma management, quality of life, general knowledge of asthma, and healthcare utilization effectiveness. A trend was demonstrated in the improvement of overnight hospital stays, which dropped from 6% at baseline to 1% at follow-up. A significant change was also observed in the percentage of families reporting that their child required a clinic or doctor visit in the previous 4 weeks due to problems with asthma, with the percentage of families reporting a clinic or a doctor visit dropping from 50% at baseline to 31% at follow-up. The percentage of families reporting asthma attack incidents decreased by 30% between the first and last visits, and those reporting symptoms of wheezing or whistling while breathing declined by 23%. Significant improvements were observed in the physical health of children, including their ability to participate in physical activities, as well as improvement in the families' emotional health.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)165-171
Number of pages7
JournalPediatric, Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2015

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