Asthma education for children aged three to five years in two community settings

Asthma currently affects approximately 10% of children in Australia. The disease is associated with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Considerable research has been conducted to identify evidence-based practices and therapeutic interventions that may prove useful in assisting the management of asthma. There has been an effort to find educational interventions that will increase the ability of young children to understand asthma. Increasing children’s knowledge of the disease can improve their management practices and health status. The original contribution of this research to knowledge is that very young children with asthma and those without asthma were able to learn about asthma and its management when provided with education in a community setting. The research involved the use of age-appropriate asthma education resources, the Children’s Asthma Education Resource Package (CAERP). These resources were used independently by educators and parents in early childhood centres and homes, which led to an improvement in the asthma-related knowledge of very young children. Improvements in the asthma health of very young children were found; however, most of these improvements were not statistically significant. When developed, the CAERP was one of the few resources specifically developed and evaluated for very young children with asthma. The CAERP consists of a picture book and three video segments designed to educate children about asthma and its management. Earlier research evaluating the CAERP components in controlled experimental settings (University, medical centres, and hospitals) found that these resources significantly improved children’s knowledge and management of asthma, improved adherence to medication regimens, and consequently improved the health status of children with asthma. The current research differs from this earlier research by evaluating the effectiveness of the CAERP in community settings. This research reports on two studies evaluating whether the independent use of the CAERP by children, educators, and parents in community settings was effective in improving 2 the asthma-related knowledge and asthma management and health of children. Two quasi-controlled experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the CAERP when it was used to educate children aged 3 to 5 years of age in early childhood centres and homes in Queensland, Australia. The first study, Study One involved 564 children, aged 3 to 5 years.