Evaluation of a community-based outreach worker program for children with asthma.

OBJECTIVE An asthma outreach worker (AOW) can provide home-based education about asthma management and methods to minimize home environmental asthma triggers. A theory-based AOW program was implemented by a community partnership and its effectiveness was evaluated. DESIGN Baseline and follow-up surveys were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the AOW. SAMPLE The convenience sample consisted of 60 caregivers whose children received AOW services. MEASURES Quality of life, use of asthma management plans, medication use, health care utilization, home environmental behavior changes to reduce triggers, and satisfaction with AOW services were self-reported by caregivers. RESULTS Caregivers reported significantly higher quality of life at follow-up than at baseline. At follow-up, 93% of the children had asthma management plans as compared with 31% at baseline. Self-reported hospitalizations were significantly reduced. All of the families made changes to minimize household asthma triggers. Caregivers reported high satisfaction with the AOW and 90% of them felt that the home environmental assessment conducted by the AOW helped improve their child's asthma. CONCLUSION Short-term community-based AOW services for children can be effective in enhancing self-management capabilities, improving the quality of life, increasing the use of asthma management plans, and helping families reduce asthma triggers in the home environment.