title: Effects of coping-skills training in low-income urban African-American adolescents with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Minority teens with asthma are at particular risk for this life-threatening disease due to increased morbidity and mortality rates in addition to the normal challenges of adolescence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this randomized controlled trial (n = 137) was to determine the effects of a coping-skills training program (intervention) compared with standard asthma education (attention control) in African-American teens with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents were recruited from five African-American dominant high schools serving low-income areas of Chicago. Data were collected at baseline, 2 months (immediately following the intervention), 6 months, and 12 months. Results. Both groups improved over time, with significant increases in asthma-related quality of life, asthma knowledge, and asthma self-efficacy, accompanied by decreases in symptom days and asthma-related school absences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that coping-skills training as implemented in this study provided no additional benefit beyond that experienced in the control group. However, group-based interventions delivered in the school setting may be beneficial for low-income, minority teens with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626, USA. bvelsor@luc.edu
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Velsor-Friedrich
authors.forename: Lisa K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Militello
authors.forename: Maryse H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Patrick R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Israel M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Edna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Fred B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bryant
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011203:Poverty; D011788:Quality of Life; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D014505:Urban Population