School intervention in asthma for adolescents: it is time to act.
Asthma is a public health problem that is responsible for significant symptomatology and in extreme cases, premature deaths among adolescents. Lack of knowledge of the disease contributes to both its morbidity and mortality. In this manuscript, we discuss school interventions in asthma, in particular their impacts on improving knowledge of the disease and their ability to both make the school environment safer and reduce morbidity indicators. These interventions have been successful when implemented in higher income countries. Thus, to address the lack of interventions in low and middle income countries, we present an example of an alternative asthma intervention in the school curriculum developed in South America. The model has been proven to be both feasible and relatively inexpensive. It is easily structured by utilizing the staff of the school itself and is capable of being adapted to other countries.
Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; ProAR, Programa para o Controle da Asma na Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address: carla.carvalho@ufba.br.
Ana Carla Carvalho
ACC
Coelho
Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; ProAR, Programa para o Controle da Asma na Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address: cdsmachado@ufba.br.
Carolina
C
de Souza-Machado
ProAR, Programa para o Controle da Asma na Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address: adelmirm@gmail.com.
Adelmir
A
Souza-Machado
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013020:South America
Asthma; adolescents; knowledge; school based interventions; symptom control