« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
August 29, 2006
Back-to-School Asthma not a Top Priority for Parents
It’s that time of the year again – kids all across the country are returning to school. For parents the time leading up to the first day of school can be daunting. Tasks range from purchasing new school supplies and clothes to rearranging schedules to accommodate after school activities. Also on the minds of parents are concerns about their children adjusting to a new environment, new friends and new teachers. There is a lot to take care of. For parents of children with asthma there’s even more to consider.
A recent study conducted by the American Lung Association found that 73 percent of parents of children with asthma report they are concerned about how their child’s asthma will affect their ability to participate in school, yet the majority of those parents are not taking steps recommended by the American Lung Association to better manage their child’s asthma.
In addition, studies show that emergency room visits increase in September and October among children with asthma. The back-to-school months herald the cold and virus season, when children return to close classroom quarters after having spent the summer apart from one another. Viruses are a leading asthma trigger, as well as allergens including those that peak in the fall, indoor pollutants, and outdoor air pollution, which can lead to ozone alert days in September and October in some areas of the country.1,2
There are some simple, basic steps parents can take to make sure their child’s asthma is under control and that their school is involved in managing it:
- See your child’s doctor—If your child is due for a check-up with his or her physician, make sure that happens before school begins!
- Know your child’s triggers—Be aware of what may be triggering asthma attacks, and work to keep him away from those allergens and triggers. Asthma triggers may include: exercise, smoke, pollen, dust, air pollution, animal fur, colds, flu and other respiratory infections.
- Understand your child’s asthma control—Keep track of nighttime coughing and/or waking, which may mean that asthma is not being well controlled, as well as actual asthma attacks. Work with your physician to be sure asthma is under control before school starts, which may decrease the chances of it worsening at the beginning of the year.
- Have a written Asthma Action Plan—Work with your child’s physician to complete a plan, which should include individualized information about your child’s asthma symptoms, daily medications, rescue inhaler or nebulizer treatments, any physical activity limitations or need for inhaler before strenuous activities, and specific instructions about what to do and whom to call if an asthma attack does not improve with medication. Click here to download a free Asthma Action Plan.
- Schedule flu shots—Talk to you child’s physician now about getting immunized against influenza in September or October. Preventing influenza may lessen asthma episodes and trips to the ER. Flu shots for people with asthma have been proven safe through research conducted by the American Lung Association.
Click here for more tips and resources to manage your child’s asthma as they return to school.
1 Johnston, NW et al., The September Epidemic of Asthma Hospitalization: School Children as Disease Vectors. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. March 2006. Vol. 117(3); 557-562.
2 Neidell, MJ. Air Pollution, Health and Socio-economic Status: The Effect of Outdoor Air Quality on Childhood Asthma. Journal of Health Economics. Novemeber 2004. Vol. 23(6); 1209-1236.
Posted by lungblogposter at 12:47 PM | Comments (6)
