Healthy Homes University: A Home-Based Environmental Intervention and Education Program for Families with Pediatric Asthma in Michigan

Environmental conditions within the home can exacerbate asthmatic children's symptoms. To improve health outcomes among this group, we implemented an in-home environmental public health program—Healthy Homes University—for low-income families in Lansing, Michigan, from 2005 to 2008. Families re...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health reports (1974) 2011-05, Vol.126 (1_suppl), p.14-26
Main Authors: Largo, Thomas W., Borgialli, Michele, Wisinski, Courtney L., Wahl, Robert L., Priem, Wesley F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Allergens - immunology
Asthma
Asthma - immunology
Asthma - prevention & control
Asthma - therapy
Bedrooms
Biological and medical sciences
Caregivers
Caregivers - education
Child
Child health services
Child, Preschool
Children
Cockroaches
Colleges & universities
Dust
Education
Environmental conditions
Environmental Exposure - adverse effects
Environmental Exposure - prevention & control
Environmental health
Exposure
Families & family life
Family
Female
General aspects
Health care
Health care policy
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Healthy People Programs
Homes
House Calls
Housing
Housing - standards
Humans
Identification
Income
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Intervention
Low income groups
Male
Medical sciences
Medical service
Michigan
Miscellaneous
Mites
Molds
Pediatrics
Practice
PRACTICE ARTICLES
Prevention and actions
Program Evaluation
Psychoeducational intervention
Public health
Public health education
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Severity of Illness Index
Smoke
Smoking
Tobacco
Wellness programs
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Environmental conditions within the home can exacerbate asthmatic children's symptoms. To improve health outcomes among this group, we implemented an in-home environmental public health program—Healthy Homes University—for low-income families in Lansing, Michigan, from 2005 to 2008. Families received four visits during a six-month intervention. Program staff assessed homes for asthma triggers and subsequently provided products and services to reduce exposures to cockroaches, dust mites, mold, tobacco smoke, and other triggers. We also provided asthma education that included identification of asthma triggers and instructions on specific behaviors to reduce exposures. Based on self-reported data collected from 243 caregivers at baseline and six months, the impact of asthma on these children was substantially reduced, and the proportion who sought acute unscheduled health care for their asthma decreased by more than 47%.
ISSN:0033-3549
1468-2877
DOI:10.1177/00333549111260S104