Parents' Preconceptions Around Asthma Mean A Quarter Of Children Would Wrongly Miss Out On Sport

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 13 Sep 2007 - 14:00 PST

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A new survey by Asthma UK and Morrisons has found that a quarter of all parents in Britain would prevent a child with asthma from playing in the football team or taking part in PE because of concerns about their health.

This could mean we would miss out on finding the next Darren Gough, Paul Scholes or Paula Radcliffe, who all have asthma but have excelled in sporting activities for their country.

These findings support the launch of a nationwide campaign for children with asthma which aims to recognise and celebrate children and young people living with the condition, whether they turn out to be a champion sportsperson or not. The campaign by Asthma UK and Morrisons is called Kick Asthma Heroes and is spearheaded by GMTV's Andrew Castle. It encourages the general public to nominate children aged 16 or under with asthma, or children who help and support friends or relatives with asthma.
The UK has amongst the highest rates for childhood asthma in the world, with on average three children with asthma in every classroom. However, if asthma symptoms are well controlled - by taking medicines as prescribed and attending regular reviews with a GP - then most children are safe to play football or go cross country running.

However, the research showed that a quarter of all parents would prevent a child with asthma from going on bike rides, going away on holiday with their friends or going horse riding. In addition, almost half of parents said they would prevent a child with asthma from owning a cat or dog or going cross-country running.

Neil Churchill, Chief Executive of Asthma UK, said:'This research shows we have a long way to go in educating people about asthma and reinforcing that with the right medication, children with asthma need not be stopped from being active. We hope the Kick Asthma Heroes campaign will be successful in celebrating all children with asthma, whether they are able to take part in sport or not.'

Andrew Castle, presenter for GMTV, commented: 'The Kick Asthma Heroes campaign is a fantastic way to recognise and reward kids with asthma who face a daily battle, but do their best to live their lives the way they want to. My daughter has asthma but she refuses to let it cramp her style, despite it putting her in hospital a few times. It's this ability to bounce back that should be celebrated. I call on people to fill in a nomination form and put these brave children forward to receive this recognition.'

Colin Middlemiss, Morrisons PR Controller, said: 'Asthma UK is our charity of the year and we are delighted to be supporting such an important campaign and raising awareness of this common and serious condition.'

Those wishing to nominate a 'Kick Asthma Hero' can visit their local Morrisons store to pick up and post an entry form at the Customer Services desk. Nomination forms are available from Monday 10th September and the closing date for entries is Monday 8th October. Alternatively, they can visit www.morrisons.co.uk

All nominated Kick Asthma Heroes will then be invited to an exclusive ceremony at one of Morrisons' 371 stores, on Tuesday 23rd October, where they will receive a celebratory lunch, goody bag filled with treats and a certificate signed by GMTV presenter, Andrew Castle.

Asthma Quick Facts

- 5.2 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma including 1.1 million children (1 in 10) and 4.1 million adults (1 in 12).

- The UK has amongst the highest rates for childhood asthma in the world

- There are on average three children with asthma in every classroom in the UK and over half of them have severe symptoms like unpredictable asthma attacks or hospital admissions

- Nearly a quarter of children with asthma miss more than a week of school every year as a result of their asthma

- Just under eighty children are admitted to hospital every day because of their asthma, yet two thirds of those visits are avoidable

- 25 children died from asthma in 2005 yet as many as 90% of the deaths from asthma are preventable.

Celebrities with asthma

- Andrew Castle
- Darren Gough
- Paula Radcliffe
- Paul Scholes
- Martin Freeman
- Karen Pickering

1. Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.2 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma. For up-to-date news on asthma, information and publications, visit the Asthma UK website http://www.asthma.org.uk

2. Asthma UK is the major funder of asthma research in the UK. Each year we spend approximately £3 million on research which includes project grants, four fellows, and two professors.

http://www.asthma.org.uk