Chicago Asthma School-Directed Child-Centered Assessment and Dissemination of Evidence

Significant health disparities persist in childhood asthma prevalence and morbidity despite existing evidence-based asthma guidelines that have been shown to improve outcomes. Schools are an integral partner in asthma management. Prior literature has outlined various targeted school-based interventions with some positive outcomes; however, these programs focus on individual components of the guidelines and take place transiently without integration into school processes for sustainability. To more comprehensively impact asthma care, schools have enacted policies to support guideline-based practices; however, implementation falls short and thus these policies have not led to effective, systemic practices. Therefore, this project aims to bridge the gap in the implementation of asthma guidelines and policies by developing and evaluating a pragmatic, multicomponent school-directed, child-centered asthma program that builds upon existing targeted interventions and is integrated in the school to foster sustainability. This innovative project contributes beyond existing school-based programs by simultaneously and pragmatically implementing multiple components of the asthma guidelines through school-wide systems and streamlined processes led by lay health workers.

A multi-level program will be put in place for all students and families within the school. Intervention components will include: in-depth training for current school staff who are critical in asthma care, restructured processes to identify students with asthma, technological adaptations to create integrated tracking systems for asthma care and absenteeism, strategies to enhance communication about asthma within school and between school and home, protocols for routine care (e.g., participation in gym/recess) and emergencies, and education for all students about asthma.