For Release: August 4, 1997, 5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Members of the media may obtain the full text of this study by e-mailing the AAP Division of Public Relations at [email protected] or calling the Division at 847-981-7877 and asking for C4-97. E-mail requests should include your name, media affiliation, phone and fax numbers or address.
NEW EDUCATION PROGRAM MAY PROTECT CHILDREN AGAINST ASTHMA
CHICAGO--A new educational program aimed at families may cut the risk of life-threatening asthma in children, according to a study in the August issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The rate of death from asthma in the United States "increased 40 percent from 1982 to 1991, the last year for which data are available," according to researchers from the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Fla. To prevent these deaths, the authors developed the Red Alert Program which "consists of several components: identification of children at risk; education of the child, family, and other care givers; a community-based emergency communication and response network; and comprehensive medical care," say the authors. In the eight years that the program has been in operation, 75 patients were enrolled. Researchers noted that there were 270 hospitalizations, with life-threatening asthma occurring in 25 admissions of 15 patients. During the study, three patients died, according to researchers who noted that two of these patients did not use the services provided by the program. The authors noted that feedback from parents has been positive because the program relieved fear that help would not be at hand when needed and because children enrolled in the program get timely asthma treatment due to written proof of their life-threatening condition. The authors conclude that the Red Alert Program may prove to be an effective model program for children with life-threatening asthma.
[For an interview on this study, contact James Sherman, M.D., at 352/392- 4458.]
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EDITORS NOTE: This studys was published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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