Improving Asthma Management among African-American Children via a Community Health Worker Model: Findings from a Chicago-Based Pilot Intervention

Authors: Margellos-Anast H, Gutierrez MA, Whitman S..

Asthma affects 25-30% of children living in certain disadvantaged Chicago neighborhoods, a rate twice the national prevalence (13%). Children living in poor, minority communities tend to rely heavily on the emergency department (ED) for asthma care and are unlikely to be properly medicated or educated on asthma self-management. A pilot project implemented and evaluated a community health worker (CHW) model for its effectiveness in reducing asthma morbidity and improving the quality of life among African-American children living in disadvantaged Chicago neighborhoods. Findings indicate improved asthma control. Specifically, symptom frequency was reduced by 35% and urgent health resource utilization by 75% between the pre- and post-intervention periods. The intervention was also shown to be cost-effective, resulting in an estimated $5.58 saved per dollar spent on the intervention. Findings suggest that individualized asthma education provided by a trained, culturally competent CHW is effective in improving asthma management among poorly controlled, inner-city children. Further studies are needed to affirm the findings and assess the model’s generalizability.