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Nationwide Asthma Screening Program Helps Americans Breathe Easier

Challenge

Asthma shouldn’t take anyone’s breath away, and yet the need for public education about the disease is unquestioned. Asthma affects 24 million people, including 7.1 million children, and is the most common chronic disease of childhood. More than 4,000 people die of asthma annually.

Government reports have noted that public education about asthma is probably the most important strategy in bringing the disease under control. To help address this need, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) launched a Nationwide Asthma Screening Program in 1996 to provide asthma information and to encourage people at high risk for asthma to seek early diagnosis and effective treatment.

Action

The Nationwide Asthma Screening Program was designed to help adults and children recognize whether their breathing problems might be asthma, and to know where to go for a professional diagnosis. It also positioned allergists as the medical specialists who treat asthma and to enlist association members to work together at the grassroots level on this public outreach effort.

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; allied health professionals such as nurses and respiratory therapists; and physicians who would treat asthma such as pulmonologists. Media were a conduit to these audiences.

The campaign began with a pilot project in Kansas City with 10 local allergists conducting a screening program at a local shopping mall. A special Screening Registration and Report Form was created, based on an LQ (Life Quality) Test created specifically for the program. The LQ Test helped participants identify lifestyle compromises caused by coping with asthma symptoms. Participants took a spirometry test to measure the breathing capacity of their lungs and met with an allergist to determine whether referral was appropriate. Local publicity was used to promote the screening. About 130 adults and children – one person every five minutes – were screened during the program with almost two-thirds referred for a professional diagnosis. Based on the success of the pilot, ACAAI launched a national program that continues today.

The strategy for the national program was to educate people by involving them in the screening or by taking a self-test on asthma, available on the ACAAI Web site.

Specific program tactics include:

Logo and Theme Development. A special theme, “Don’t Let Asthma Take Your Breath Away,” was created for the program and freshened up on the screening program’s 10th anniversary.

Annual Meeting. Each year at the ACAAI annual meeting members view an exhibit and video highlighting the results of the program, and sign up to be a local coordinator for a screening site.

Screening Program Manual. A “Local Coordinator’s Manual” provides a step-by-step “cookbook” on how to plan, publicize and conduct a local screening program. The manual also provides sample publicity and recruitment materials, timelines, protocol, suggestions for forming partnerships with other groups and materials to be used at the screening program.

Public Education and Support Materials/Help Line. Public education and support materials, including a poster, brochures and Screening Registration and Report Form, are provided in a kit to each screening program coordinator. Local coordinators can call a telephone Help Line at anytime for assistance in planning and executing their programs. 

Kids Materials. Since asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease, the program provides special materials for children including a special self-quiz called the Kids’ Asthma Check. The Kids’ Asthma Check is available for children under age 15 allowing them to answer questions about their breathing problems. Another version is available for parents of children up to age 8. In addition to the self-quiz, coloring activities and sticks are available.

National Media and Member Relations. National media relations promotes the Nationwide Asthma Screening Program, and the LQ Test, Kids’ Asthma Check and the ACAAI Web site, where information is available for people who were unable to attend a local screening. ACAAI publications and direct mail are used to promote the campaign to members to build support for the initiative. A “Special Report” bulletin for members announces the launch, and ACAAI newsletter articles providing periodic updates on the program.

Special Initiatives. Each year, a special initiative or new component extends the reach of the program. Some initiatives include: printed and online materials on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction, plans workplace and state capital screenings, information on asthma in infants and young children, and educational materials for the public and professionals on asthma control.

Results

The campaign has achieved all its objectives:

• Hundreds of ACAAI members participate in the campaign each year.
• 5,000-10,000 adults and children are screened annually with half referred for a professional diagnosis.
• About 200 million people per year have been reached through local and national media.

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