A community-based in-home asthma environmental/educational intervention was implemented in Toledo, Ohio, over a 2-year period by professional staff from the Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Center at Toledo Children's Hospital. Fifty-five children were selected from patients at the hospital and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 28) and control groups (n = 27). The intervention consisted of in-home visits by hospital staff at the homes of asthma patients in order to provide: an individualized asthma trigger reduction plan, ongoing asthma education, printed educational materials, equipment and supplies necessary to reduce triggers, and referrals to community resources (e.g. appropriate social services, home repair/maintenance, smoking cessation programs, furnace cleaning, or integrated pest management specialists). An asthma knowledge and behavior (AKB) questionnaire was administered to heads of household of the child patients in both study groups pre and post-intervention. An in-home assessment (IHA) instrument was used by hospital staff at the homes of intervention group participants in order to identify asthma triggers pre and post-intervention. Items on the AKB questionnaire were scored and summed for a possible high of 20 points and low of 0 points. Higher scores represented greater knowledge and more positive behaviors. Items on the IHA instrument were categorized by locations in the home: general home area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and basement. Assessments were scored with a range from 318 to 0. Higher point values indicated a larger number of asthma triggers identified. An independent t-test on the AKB questionnaire total scores indicated that both the control group and the intervention group scored similarly pre-intervention (t = -1.008, p = .318). A univariate analysis using General Linear Models revealed an interaction effect between time and group assignment (F = 7.488, p = .007) on pre and post-intervention scores. Paired t-tests results on the 15 items and the AKB instrument as a whole revealed that the control group participants had improved scores on 3 items (p < .05) and the intervention group participants had improved scores on 5 items and the overall AKB questionnaire (p < .05). Finally, paired t-test results on the IHA pre and post-intervention scores indicated that significant improvement did occur among the intervention group participants (t = 4.486, p = .000).
1. Session participants will be able to describe the nature of the in-home asthma intervention. 2. Session participants will be able to discuss the potential benefits of implementing an in-home asthma intervention in the community.