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Are you a school nurse, teacher, or staff member? The American Lung Association has compiled easy-to-follow steps and resources you can use to support an asthma-friendlier learning environment. Find out what you can do to help all students breathe easier this school year.

Asthma is a common disease among Montana children.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood, affecting an esti-mated 20,000 children ages 0-18 in Montana.  One in five Montana high school students has been told they have asthma in their lifetime and 11% of Montana high school students report currently having asthma. In a typical Montana classroom with 30 students, three children will likely have asthma.

Asthma affects school attendance and performance.

Nationwide, asthma is a leading cause of school absences. In 2003, approximately 12.8 million school days were missed due to asthma in the United States.Research indicates that students with persistent asthma symptoms and asthma related school absences may have lower test scores and academic achievement.

With planning, asthma can be controlled in the school setting.

Good asthma management includes proper use of asthma medications and reduction of environmental asthma triggers such as tobacco smoke and animal dander. Schools can support asthma management efforts by implementing policies and procedures that allow students easy access to their medications and that reduce asthma triggers in the school environment.

Creating an asthma friendly school environment can help students with asthma fully participate in all school activities and have the best chance at academic success. This booklet details seven simple steps toward creating an asthma friendly school.

Asthma is a chronic disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled. A key strategy used to control asthma is to reduce or eliminate the asthma triggers that cause or exacerbate the symptoms of the disease. It is critical that all those who work with, live with, and are affected by asthma have a good understanding of asthma triggers and how they can be effectively reduced to achieve asthma control.

The purpose of this report is to identify the key environmental asthma triggers that are present in Montana. Herein, readers will find a description of characteristics of the state that influence environmental asthma triggers. This is followed by a description of common outdoor, indoor, and work-related asthma triggers, and a discussion of how relevant these triggers are to Montana. The final segment of the paper describes current knowledge gaps, summarizes key clinical messages, and suggests public policy implications of the report's findings.