Fresno: Kickin’ Asthma: A School Based Asthma Education Program

In partnership with the American Lung Association in California (ALAC), Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) has launched the model school-based asthma education program, Kickin’ Asthma (KA), at eight FUSD middle schools.. Middle school students are targeted specifically for several reasons. Adolescents are known to have a higher prevalence of asthma, suffer more frequent exacerbations and have more near-fatal episodes compared to younger children. Parents of teens may have a reduced role in the management of their child’s health, but the student does not yet have the knowledge and skills to take full responsibility for their own care. By taking Kickin’ Asthma classes at their school the students learn self-management skills independent of their parents, thereby increasing their self reliance and confidence to begin to take charge of their asthma.

All 7th grade students in FUSD are offered a standardized asthma questionnaire, administered by a research team from the University of California San Francisco Medical School in Fresno. Using this information, students with the most severe asthma are identified. School nurses compare the list with information in health records to select the students to invite to the four classroom sessions. Our Kickin’ Asthma Program Coordinator, working with ALAC, facilitates the program at each school site, relieving the school nurses of the time-consuming tasks of preparing class materials, arranging lunches, notifying teachers, etc. The lunch-time classes are taught by college student interns who have been trained in Asthma 101 and in the Kickin’ Asthma curriculum by the KA Program Coordinator. The school nurses also receive training in the KA curriculum and play a supportive role. They receive feedback from the interns on students who could benefit from more help from the nurse, who then can provide further teaching for the student and parent, case management or referral to outside care, as appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Glena Walke, MS, RN, Asthma Nurse Coordinator
Fresno Unified School District
Glena.Walke@fresnounified.org
http://www.fresnounified.org/