Evaluation of a self-help education-exercise program for asthmatic children and their parents: six-month follow-up.

A program evaluation was conducted on a sample of 40 families with asthmatic children who were managed in private practice and participated in a self-help education-exercise program in Denver. Baseline measures were collected for the six-month period before the program, and follow-up measures were collected for the six-month period following completion of the eight-week program. The results indicated that a significant number of children experienced less debilitation after completing the program and also had less need of medical services. The interpersonal relations between the child and the parents were judged to have improved in a significant number of families, and a significant number of mothers reported that they experienced less emotional distress in getting a significant number of parents to quit smoking. Additional evaluations are recommended with a sample of asthmatic children who are more severely debilitated and more difficult to manage.