Study Looks At Literacy Intervention To Improve Asthma-Related Health Outcomes Among Minority Youth

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 21 Aug 2008 - 8:00 PST

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"The Impact of Literacy Enhancement on Asthma-Related Outcomes Among
Underserved Children" (.pdf), Journal of the National Medical Association: The study looks at whether improving literacy among children with low rates of literacy would influence asthma-related health outcomes. Researcher Lawrence Robinson of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles and colleagues over a sixth-month period studied literacy and self-management of asthma among 110 mostly black and Hispanic children who had been receiving care from the pediatric allergy clinic at the Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital Medical Alert Center. The children received two hours of literacy training and 30 minutes of asthma education on Saturdays for at least six months. All of the children displayed significant improvement in reading and self-efficacy, which researchers said was directly related to a decrease in hospitalizations and emergency department visits. The study concludes that improved "literacy is a sustainable factor that will not only improve asthma outcomes but will enhance the potential for educational success" among minority youth with low literacy skills (Robinson et al., JNMA, August 2008).

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