Improving Asthma in Hispanic Families Through a Home-Based Educational Intervention

Background: Hidalgo County, located in Health Service Region 11 in the Rio Grande Valley near the Texas-Mexico border, has a high asthma hospitalization rate, with an age-adjusted hospitalization rate of 13.4% (12.5-14.3%) per 10,000. Methods: A longitudinal nonrandomized design was used, and a holistic and home-based approach was developed and implemented in the County to educate a targeted population of families with children diagnosed with asthma. Results: There were statistically significant improvements in knowledge, asthma symptoms, asthma management, quality of life, general knowledge of asthma, and healthcare utilization effectiveness. A trend was demonstrated in the improvement of overnight hospital stays, which dropped from 6% at baseline to 1% at follow-up. A significant change was also observed in the percentage of families reporting that their child required a clinic or doctor visit in the previous 4 weeks due to problems with asthma, with the percentage of families reporting a clinic or a doctor visit dropping from 50% at baseline to 31% at follow-up. The percentage of families reporting asthma attack incidents decreased by 30% between the first and last visits, and those reporting symptoms of wheezing or whistling while breathing declined by 23%. Significant improvements were observed in the physical health of children, including their ability to participate in physical activities, as well as improvement in the families' emotional health.