A randomized controlled trial of a family-based community health worker delivered intervention for urban adolescents with uncontrolled asthma

ABSTRACT

Black adolescents with asthma are at elevated risk for health disparities. This study used mixed methods to test an evidence-based, family intervention adapted for home-based delivery by community health workers (CHWs). Fifty-nine families were randomly assigned to receive the adapted intervention, Reach for Control (RFC), or home-based case management. Paired t-tests showed adolescents in both groups had significant decreases in asthma-related emergency department visits. Families in RFC also had significant improvements in asthma management. Qualitative interviews suggested high satisfaction with CHW delivery, but treatment dose was low. Additional studies are needed to develop effective interventions for this population.

Acknowledgments

We thank the families who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data will be made available upon publication to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal for use under a specific data-sharing agreement that provides for: (1) a commitment to using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; (2) a commitment to securing the data using appropriate technology; and (3) a commitment to destroying the data after analyses are completed.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [grant number R01HL1386301]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.