English

The Asthma Guidelines for Schools was written in response to many requests made by school nurses to the Arizona Asthma Coalition.  School nurses are overwhlemed by the number of school children with asthma and requested a comprehensive guide.  They asked that the guide have information appropriate for other health office and non-health personne, who have to deal with children with asthma when the school nurse is out of the building or otherwise unavailabe.

The Context Survey can be used to conduct a semi-structured interview to collect both quantitative and qualitative information about coalition structure and functioning and the focus of coalition efforts. It also gathers information about the social, cultural and political environment of the community in which the coalition operates. The survey can be administered to coalition members and staff as a telephone or face-to-face interview.

Managing Asthma in the School Environment focuses on steps that schools can take to help children breathe easier. Students with uncontrolled asthma often miss more school and have poorer academic performance than healthy students. With the help of strong school management programs, students with asthma can have equally good school attendance. When asthma is well controlled, students are ready to learn. Because children spend most of their time in schools, day care facilities, or at home, it is important to reduce their exposure to environmental asthma triggers as much as possible in each of these environments.

The guide offers valuable information for all school staff, especially school nurses, teachers, and maintenance staff, on how to establish and evaluate an indoor air quality management program, develop an asthma management plan, and reduce environmental asthma triggers.