The purpose of this project is to refine and further evaluate an online asthma management and education program for urban teenagers. This project is a continuation of Puff City I, a project piloting and evaluating a tailored, school-based, computerized asthma education program for urban teenagers. In this second phase of research, a new version of software (Puff City II) will be created that will target resistance to change and relapse, and using a tested, theory-based approach to student recruitment, conduct a randomized trial to test the efficacy of this new software.
BACKGROUND: Teenagers are among an age group that has seen dramatic increases in deaths from asthma. In Detroit, asthma death rates for teenagers are high relative to younger ages, despite a higher prevalence in the latter age group. Early studies suggest that inadequate asthma management plays a significant role in these grim statistics. DESIGN NARRATIVE: The study hypothesis is that students randomized to the intervention group will have lower asthma-related morbidity as determined by fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations at the time of the 12-month follow-up. Based on a second hypothesis of better functional status among students randomized to the intervention group, secondary outcomes include fewer symptom-days, symptom-nights, school days missed, and days of restricted activity at the time of the 12-month follow-up. In addition, it is hypothesized that students in the intervention group will have higher scores on the Juniper Pediatric Quality of Life scale at 12 months. Finally, it is hypothesized that intervention students would exhibit positive changes in adherence behavior, having a rescue inhaler nearby, and smoking at the 12-month follow-up.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
450
Web-based asthma management
4 computer sessions over a period of 180 days
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Asthma-related morbidity
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with the latter being the timepoint of interest
Symptom-days
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with the latter being the timepoint of interest
Symptom-nights
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with the latter being the timepoint of interest
School days missed
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with the latter being the timepoint of interest
Days of restricted activity
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months with the latter being the timepoint of interest
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