Capitalizing on a teachable moment motivates parents of kids with asthma to quit smoking

By Boston University Medical Center

5/17/16

Parents who smoke are more likely to quit smoking after receiving motivational smoking cessation counseling following a "teachable moment" (TM) such as witnessing their child experience an asthma attack.

The study, which appears in the journal Addiction, also found that in-home counseling visits, including feedback on their child's second hand smoke exposure (SHSe) and counseling phone calls improved the likelihood of smoking cessation and less SHSe.

Despite a reduction in overall smoking prevalence, parental smoking and pediatric SHSe remain high, particularly among minority and low income families with children with asthma. More than 40 percent of all children are exposed to SHSe, which increases the risk for asthma.

Led by Belinda Borrelli, PhD, professor of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Director of Behavioral Science Research at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM), the researchers compared parents who smoke and have a child ...

Read More

UB researchers explore depression, asthma link

The Buffalo News

5/13/16

Studies have shown that children with asthma are at higher risk for depression. Research also has shown an association between a parent or caregiver’s depression and worsening symptoms in an asthmatic child.

Now researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Texas, Dallas are exploring this connection further: They are beginning a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to determine whether treating a depressed caregiver will improve the child’s asthma.

The findings could have major implications for the way children with asthma are treated. The researchers say the findings also eventually may ...

Read More

Nationwide Children’s mobile app may help people better self-manage asthma

News Medical

5/17/16

Very early on in her life, 3-year-old Karma Taylor found herself frequently in the Emergency Department in the middle of the night as a result of breathing problems. Karma's mom, Joyce Kelso, felt like she was chasing after her daughter's asthma rather than staying ahead of it.

"As a mom, there was nothing more terrifying than knowing Karma wasn't able to breathe," said Joyce. "It's scary, especially when you can hear your child wheezing and struggling that way."

After the family's pediatrician referred them to Nationwide Children's Hospital to see an asthma specialist, Joyce downloaded AsthmaCare, a mobile app developed by experts at Nationwide Children's designed to help patients and their families better manage their asthma. Because of this resource, Karma has improved significantly.

"It was definitely hard to ..."

Read More

Children in lower-income areas more susceptible to asthma

Arizona Capitol Times

Alejandra Armstrong

5/6/16

Children in the state’s lower-income urban communities suffer more serious bouts of asthma caused by dirty air and other pollutants – despite decades of state and local monitoring and repeated concerns that air in their neighborhoods is dangerous to their health.

A Cronkite News analysis of hospital emergency room admissions by ZIP code between 2009 and 2015 shows that children living in areas like south and west Phoenix, Maryvale or neighborhoods along Interstate 17, to name a few, were more likely to need urgent medical care for asthma than children living elsewhere in the Valley.

Topping this list is ZIP code 85008, a neighborhood just north of Sky Harbor International Airport, with more than 1,600 children requiring emergency

Read More
 

Study: Most asthma research does not apply to black children

UPI

By Stephen Feller

May 12, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 (UPI) -- Genetic risk factors for asthma identified in recent years may not apply to black children, or other minorities, due to studies including only white asthma patients, researchers say.

A new study conducted by the University of California San Francisco found nearly all known genetic risk factors for asthma could not be replicated with black patients, finding instead other genetic markers that may increase risk for the condition.

Asthma is the most common chronic medical condition in children of all racial and ethnic groups. In the United States, prevalence is highest among Puerto Ricans, at 18.4 percent, followed by 14.6 percent of African-Americans, 8.2 percent of whites and 4.8 percent of Mexicans. Among these groups ...

Read More