Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions among childcare workers before and after an asthma-management-education session.
METHODS: Between May and August 2004 five asthma-education sessions were provided for childcare workers from Sonoma County, California. A total of 71 childcare workers came to the sessions. Before and after each session we assessed the participants' knowledge, attitudes, and intentions about asthma.
RESULTS: Participant knowledge of asthma causes (eg, air quality, common cold) and interventions (eg, bronchodilators), asthma trigger control plans, ability to identify a child who needs medical attention for asthma, and comfort level with caring for a child with asthma increased significantly. Their knowledge about asthma triggers, early warning signs, and asthma control plans was high before and after the asthma education intervention. Their stated intentions to utilize their asthma knowledge were high before and after the training, which may indicate willingness to implement knowledge and attitude change.
CONCLUSIONS: Asthma education can improve childcare workers' knowledge about asthma-control strategies and attitudes toward asthma interventions.
Footnotes
- Correspondence: Suzanne R Hawley PhD MPH, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, 1010 N Kansas, Wichita KS 67214-3199;, Email: shawley{at}kumc.edu.
The views and findings in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Public Health Service.
This research was partly supported by a grant from the Redwood Empire Branch of the American Lung Association. The authors report no other conflicts of interest related to the content of this paper.
- Copyright © 2008 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.
