Education/Outreach Materials

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has created a Spanish-language version of its Wee Breathers™ program, which is designed to educate families and young children about asthma care and prevention.

Asthma is a growing concern in the Hispanic community, especially for Puerto Ricans who have the highest rate of asthma attacks and asthma prevalence 80% higher than non-Hispanic whites. AAFA is dedicated to ensuring that people with asthma have access to educational resources to help reduce the burden of this chronic disease. Wee Breathers™ in Spanish is designed to reach people who are disproportionately affected by asthma and may have low English-language proficiency.  

Wee Breathers™ is a flexible and interactive program used by asthma educators to families of pre-school-age children. The program curriculum consists of seven one-hour lessons, an instructor’s guide and two checklists for identifying asthma triggers in the home and in child care centers. Program handout materials are easy-to-read (6th grade reading level or lower) and are now available in Spanish. Instructors for this program should be a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C), or other health professional experienced with pediatric asthma management.

Since young children spend most of their time at home or in other caregiver sites like child care centers, Wee Breathers™ was designed to educate families one-on-one in their homes or with a group of parents in a child care setting. The program was developed and reviewed by an advisory team of asthma education professionals, then field-tested with experienced English- and Spanish-speaking asthma educators across the US.

Wee Breathers™ in Spanish is made possible by a cooperative agreement between AAFA and the National Asthma Control Program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All program materials are available free-of-charge at www.aafa.org/WeeBreathers.

The Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Asthma is the first state asthma plan in the nation to address how primary prevention can reduce the onset of asthma. This Strategic Plan outlines goals and funding mechanisms to promote partnerships and services that ensure healthy populations stay that way: healthy and asthma-free.

AHIP and EPA began a three year cooperative agreement in October 2014. As part of this collaboration, the organizations will identify and disseminate promising health plan interventions that help prevent asthma episodes and promote asthma management among culturally diverse populations. This webinar series helps in disseminating health plan efforts to incorporate environmental interventions into comprehensive asthma care programs. 

Watch this webinar to learn more about EPA and AHIP's mission to bridge the disparities gap through their role in connecting providers and communities to deliver sustainable in-home asthma care services. 

View here: http://media.beaconlive.com/viewitem?resc=12636