Albuquerque: Bump It Up!

The goal of the Albuquerque Public Schools is to improve middle school students’ self management of their asthma through education by providing individualized education with a minimum of classroom disruption. They have their own pilot guide called “Asthma Self-Management Education for Middle Schools.” The challenge was to teach this in a 15-minute window of instruction that addressed why students are having trouble controlling their asthma in middle school:

• Missing school
• Losing sleep
• Avoiding physical activity in PE and elsewhere
• Not doing their best at school
• Exposed to cigarette smoke and other triggers

Denine Gronseth, team lead asked the group for suggestions on ways to expand this program. The team suggestions include:

• Incorporate asthma into subject matter i.e. English – conduct journal writing exercise on asthma and allow for more classroom time instruction
• Generate a certificate for the non-smoking pledge from the EPA site
• Add stickers for the inhaler identifying its use
• Protect teens from second-hand smoke by asking family members to quit