Allergists and First Lady Fight Asthma

Nothing should take a child's fun away. Not even a disease that affects almost 5 million of our nation's children. But if not diagnosed and treated early, asthma can take away their fun and their breath.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) first launched its Nationwide Asthma Screening Program in 1997 to answer an unquestioned need for public education about asthma, a disease that affects an estimated 17 million Americans, causes more than 100 million days of restricted activity, 470,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually. The purpose of the screening program was to provide not only asthma information, but also motivation to seek early and accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. During its first two years, the program screened more than 11,000 people and referred more than half for a professional diagnosis.

In 1999, the ACAAI wanted to especially target children for its screening program, based on studies that showed children may be at risk for irreversible lung damage if their asthma is not diagnosed and treated early. Additional research confirmed the magnitude of childhood asthma: that the disease is the most common reason for school absences, resulting in an estimated 10 million missed school days each year, and that children with undiagnosed asthma have more problems in school than do children who are known asthmatics.

In an effort to prevent the irreversible damage asthma can cause a child's lungs, the 1999 Nationwide Asthma Screening Program reached out to children with the help of the nation's allergists and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton who had recently decided to make a commitment to fighting childhood asthma by proposing a $68 million initiative to combat the disease.

The program was designed to accomplish educational objectives for both the public and its members. For the public, the objective is to help adults and children recognize whether their breathing problems might be asthma, and to know where to go for a professional diagnosis. For the association members, the objective is to position allergists as the medical specialists who treat asthma. The goal was 200 screenings.

The target audiences for the program included: asthmatics — both diagnosed and undiagnosed; parents of children with asthma; minorities with a high incidence of asthma; patient support groups; consumer media; allied health professionals; and ACAAI members and other physicians.

To reach more people in 1999, the strategy also included a kick-off event that would showcase the nationwide program by involving the First Lady.

Specific tactics included:

Member Recruitment. The program's success depended on ACAAI member participation. The ACAAI provided the materials and support, but it was up to individual members to conduct the screenings. And since most allergists are not hospital-based and do not have the support of a public relations or marketing department, the execution of the grassroots campaign truly relied on their commitment to make it happen. Recruitment for the program began at the ACAAI annual meeting where members had an opportunity to view an exhibit highlighting results of the 1998 program and sign up to be a screening program coordinator. After signing up, a recruitment flyer answering questions about the program and providing program registration forms was distributed. Interested members also received a flyer offering tips on selecting a site focusing on locations that would attract children and their parents. Recruitment closed with 194 ACAAI members signed up and more than 250 screening programs scheduled.

Screening Program Manual, Support Materials and Help Line. To assist ACAAI members in planning a screening program, a "Local Coordinator's Manual" was distributed. The step-by-step "cookbook" outlined how to plan, publicize and conduct a screening. Public education and support materials, including a poster, brochures, patient education video and screening forms, were provided. A special support kit of children's publicity posters, coloring activities, stickers and crayons also was created specifically for the 1999 campaign. Coordinators could call a telephone Help Line for assistance.

Program Kick-off. In an effort to sharpen the program's focus on children and draw media attention, the ACAAI invited First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to help kick off the 1999 program with a special screening at an elementary school in Washington, D.C. The First Lady toured the screening and spoke at a school assembly attended by parents, representatives of patient support groups and health professional associations and media.

Media and Member Relations. A national media relations campaign was executed to promote the national program. The availability of an LQ (Life Quality) Test on the ACAAI Web site also was publicized so that people who were unable to attend a local screening could still take a self-quiz to help determine if they have asthma. ACAAI members were responsible for local media relations activities. The national and local programs secured 261 placements with media including Parade, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post and Parents. Internal ACAAI publications were used to promote the campaign to members to build support and excitement including two "Special Report" bulletins highlighting the campaign to ACAAI members, and ACAAI newsletter articles providing updates on the program. Membership excitement for the program continued past the recruitment deadline and resulted in the distribution of "starter kits" for members to conduct additional screening programs.

The 1999 Nationwide Asthma Screening Program was the public education campaign's most successful year to date. The success was measured by ACAAI member participation, the number of Web site hits, the number of people attending the screening programs and the number of people reached through local and national media publicity. The campaign achieved all its objectives:

250 asthma screening programs were held at locations across the country, surpassing the original program goal by 25 percent. Members received assistance from more than 1,400 physicians and allied health professionals. Many of the sites were at locations that targeted children, including zoos, children's health fairs, soccer tournaments, and a karate studio.

More than 85,000 visitors checked the ACAAI Web site for information.

An estimated 9,500 adults and children were screened, with half referred for a professional diagnosis, almost doubling the overall screening program total for the preceding two years. Almost half (44 percent) of the screening program participants were children, demonstrating the success of the special children's outreach.

74 million people were reached through local and national media.