COMMUNITY BASED PREVENTION/INTERVENTION PROJECT

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Provision of optimal medial management of childhood asthma in the rural setting is a particular challenge because of limited health care, higher rates of poverty, fewer children with health insurance, and unique environmental exposures. In rural communities, children commonly are exposed to organic dusts, agricultural chemicals, animal allergens, and grain dust mites that are brought into the home on work clothing. Moreover, for children in rural settings, the farm is their home, playground, and workplace, with children as young as five years of age participating in farm chores. There is now convincing evidence that a community-based, multi-component intervention approach is the bet route to prevent and control childhood asthma. The overall hypothesis of this study is that environmental intervention is an essential component of an asthma intervention program that must be coordinated with other improvements in health care to reduce the prevalence and severity of asthma among rural children. The goal of this study is therefore to develop, implement, and test a community-based, multi-component model for the prevention of asthma among rural children.