230
Views
10
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

An Economic Evaluation of the School-Based “Power Breathing” Asthma Program

, , &
Pages 596-599 | Published online: 09 Sep 2009
 

Abstract

This study evaluated the cost effectiveness of the “Power Breathing” program for asthma among middle and high school students. Few systematic evaluations of school based interventions—let alone cost-effectiveness programs—have been identified in the literature. Power Breathing was developed by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and is currently available for implementation by school districts. For the overall evaluation, 8 junior high schools and 2 high schools were selected and matched based on grade range, enrollment, income and race/ethnicity. Schools were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Surveys were administered at baseline, immediately post-intervention and 3 months' post-intervention. Children in the intervention arm had a significant decrease in the number of days they experienced an asthma attack or had trouble breathing during a 2-week period of 0.18 days per 2 weeks. In contrast, subjects in the control group had an increase in the in the number of days experiencing an asthma attack or having trouble breathing during a 2-week period of 0.102, from 0.696 to 0.793. The program cost approximately $3.9 per asthma attack-free day gained, on par with pharmaceutical interventions, suggesting that Power Breathing may be a cost effective asthma intervention. The results of this study suggest that school-based interventions aimed at asthma, properly implemented and administrated, are an appropriate use of societal resources.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 1,078.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.