Sixth Annual Pediatric Asthma Conference - The Future of Asthma

Research Inst Nationwide Children'S Hosp, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Seven million children are currently diagnosed with asthma. Asthma disproportionally affects African American and Hispanic children with a higher prevalence, greater severity and increased likelihood of hospitalization and death. Children living in urban areas also show increased asthma prevalence, greater severity, more frequent hospitalization and higher mortality rates. From 2001 through 2009 asthma rates increased in African American children by almost 50%. Asthma is the leading diagnosis for which children are admitted to hospital. Asthma is also one of the leading causes of school absences with asthmatic students missing about 10.5 million school days each year due to asthma exacerbations. Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and is a significant cause of childhood disability. This disease encumbers affected children and their families, causing limits to learning, inability to be active and even poor quality of sleep. Asthmatics who avoid activity (either because they are not well medicated or because they are not educated about exercise and asthma) are candidates for poor self-esteem, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, earlier development of adult onset illness, and even a shortened life-span. Both the high cost of healthcare for hospital admissions and urgent care visits can be reduced and the children's quality of life significantly improved if practitioners and families can be convinced to more consistently follow known ideal methods of care - as embodied in the NHLBI Asthma Guidelines. As part of a multi-faceted asthma quality improvement program started in 2009, Nationwide Children's Hospital began hosting an Annual Pediatric Asthma Conference aimed at providing new information and practical advice regarding asthma care for community and hospital care providers of asthma patients. The 2015 conference seeks to expand through the addition of sessions targeted to specific audiences, marketing to a wider geographic area, and involvement of nationally recognized speakers in the field of asthma care.