Gardida A, Rojas M, Tavera C, Catalán M

Language: Spanish
References: 14
Page: 27-30
PDF size: 132.84 Kb.

ABSTRACT

The impact of a one year educational program on the control of asthma (EPA) was evaluated following the evolution of 53 school children and their parents from two areas of Cuernavaca, Morelos State, Mexico. Material and methods: We studied 640 children by means of clinical history and spirometry, in 2 elementary schools of downtown Cuernavaca and the Cuernavaca CIVAC zone. Fifty-three children were diagnosed as asthmatics and randomly assigned to an experimental group of 24 children and their parents, and a control group of 29 children and their parents. Children and parents of the experimental group received the Asthma Education Program (EPA) that provides information on the general features of asthma, indoors and outdoors risk factors related to symptoms and asthma crises, and health care. Children and parents of the control group did not receive the EPA. A health survey and a spirometry were applied to both groups, initially, at 4 months, at 8 months, and at the end of the study. Results: The two groups showed similar results regarding somatometry, passive smoking, treatment and socioeconomical level. In the initial evaluation, the experimental group had 5 children with intermittent asthma and 19 children with persistent asthma. In the control group, 4 children had intermittent asthma and 25 children with persistent asthma. In the final evaluation there were not significant differences between the two groups, either clinical or in the spirometry. All 53 children showed an evolution to intermittent asthma. Discussion and conclusions: The EPA made no clinical or functional difference in the evolution of asthma in the group of studied children and parents. Clinical improvement was possibly due to the personal medical intervention during the 4 visits in a year.

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