According to experts, ten people die every day from asthma in America.
The disease affects the lungs, usually causing wheezing, coughing, and
difficulty breathing.
Coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath caused by asthma also cause
thousands of children in New Jersey to miss school every year, seek emergency
care and end up in the hospital. But such complications could be avoided if
children and their families could stick to their medication schedule and get
rid of the triggers that provoke their asthma attacks, health officials say. A
pilot program is now being developed that aims to reach the poorest children.
from New Jersey and their families. These patients will be visited at home to
reinforce understanding of the importance of medications and to draw attention
to the dangers of asthma triggers. The program is funded by a private
philanthropic organization and will take place in several districts, then its
effectiveness will be evaluated with the hope of expanding such visits
throughout the country. Seattle and Boston. Such a move gives children and
their families the opportunity to breathe easier and live healthier lives, the
authors note. During their visits, health workers not only share information
about inhaler use, but also identify common asthma triggers – cigarette smoke,
dust mites, dust and mold – in homes and teach how to manage them. Parents may
be enrolled in smoking cessation programs. Health workers will even bring
vacuum cleaners, cleaning products and dust covers if needed.
Home visits, of course, cannot eliminate some of the factors that contribute to
pollution and air emissions. Nevertheless, the authors hope for its
effectiveness. It is designed for four hundred and eighty families and two
years. Each child in the program must receive two visits per month, followed by
a third visit or phone call six weeks later to see if the change is supported.