ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Open Airways for Schools is an asthma education program that has proven to be effective in decreasing the number of asthma attacks in children and increasing their confidence in self-management. It is taught to 8-11 year olds in six 40-min sessions. Due to financial and scheduling constraints, many schools have difficulty implementing the program. The Tulsa Health Department created a modified version of the program, which is taught in ten 20-min sessions over lunch. The same topics are covered in a different order and fewer activities are utilized. This study aimed to pilot the effectiveness of the modified program. METHODS: In both versions, a pre-questionnaire is given to participating students on the first day of the program. At the end of the program, the same questionnaire is administered to assess knowledge gained. This is a retrospective review comparing pre- and post-questionnaire data from the two versions of the program. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to compare the results of the questionnaires from the modified program to results from the original program. RESULTS: Twenty students completed the original curriculum and 45 completed the modified program. Both versions were found to improve children's knowledge of how to manage asthma triggers and symptoms, as well as to improve inhaler technique. CONCLUSIONS: The modified curriculum is effective at increasing asthma knowledge. Schools may use the modified program as an alternate delivery approach to reduce the scheduling burden and to allow more children to benefit from the educational program.
