Posted on: Thursday, 16 December 2010, 07:31 CST

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Students with asthma and their parents can breathe easier thanks to a new online training program which aims to keep teachers, administrators and other faculty well informed about the condition.  with asthma proven to be present in every school, and virtually every classroom with 30 or more students, the training is designed to help affected students manage their symptoms at school.

The online course is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA), the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) and the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), and is geared towards educating the country’s 3.2 million NEA-affiliated teachers and educational professional about how to better facilitate the school environment for children with asthma.  the free training will also be accessible to superintendants, principals, building managers and parents.

"when we give teachers and other school professionals resources to support student learning, everyone benefits," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel was quoted as saying.  "I am very proud that NEA, MCAN and the NEA Health Information Network are partnering in this way to increase awareness about asthma and asthma management."

Called Managing Asthma in the School Environment, the course provides an overview of asthma by identifying causes, signs and symptoms, symptom control and treatment, and different ways to build an asthma-friendly environment.  Achieving such an environment requires the removal of asthma triggers like upholstered furniture and a greater attention to the overall environmental quality of the indoor facilities.

The course’s information is derived from the National Asthma Education and Prevention program’s Expert Panel Report 3, as well as real life, evidence-supported data collected by research programs and other childhood asthma research reports.  Funded by MCAN, the Los Angeles Unified School District Comprehensive Asthma Program has provided particularly strong evidence that successful and effective staff training is possible.  Children participating in the program reported less emergency room visits, and an improvement in overall asthma control, including both daytime and nighttime symptoms.

"Growing up with asthma can be challenging.  Students whose asthma is not under good control may have a tough time participating in physical activity, sleeping through the night, or concentrating during the school day.  By helping students manage their asthma, they can lead healthy, active lives like everyone else," NEA HIN Executive Director Jerry Newberry was quoted as saying.

SOURCE:  the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc., December 2010

Source: Ivanhoe Newswire

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