Feasibility and benefits of a school-based academic and counseling program for older school-age students with asthma.

An asthma education program for older school-age students with asthma was developed in collaboration with school personnel, healthcare professionals, and community partners. Feasibility and benefits were evaluated using a single-group, prospective, quasi-experimental design. The convenience sample, consisting of 28 grade 6 and 7 students with asthma, had 50% males, a diverse racial background, and a wide range of incomes. Feasibility and benefits were demonstrated by comparing pre-intervention to 1- and 12-month post-intervention evaluation of students who completed more than 70% of the 10 sessions. Statistically significant improvements in cognitive, behavioral, psychosocial, and quality of life outcomes were seen from pre-intervention to 1-month post-intervention (all p < .03). Severity of asthma significantly improved from 1- to 12-month post-intervention (p= .04).