Asthma Day & Month

May 1st is World Asthma Day and May is World Asthma Month. Asthma programs that address environmental triggers work best when closely connected to front-line health care providers and local communities, according to an international study of over 400 asthma programs. The U.S. EPA funded the $700,000 three-year study completed by the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The study, called the Asthma Health Outcomes Project, found that the asthma programs used a variety of approaches, such as educating healthcare providers or intensive home visits with follow-up support to families, to address environmental triggers that make asthma worse.

The programs work to improve health outcomes, such as reduced emergency room visits, improved quality of life, and fewer missed days of school or work. EPA will host the first National Asthma Forum in Washington, D.C., on May 22-23 to discuss the findings of the study and successful programs to serve as models for other community programs. Workshops will provide tools and resources to help participating communities achieve better health outcomes for theindividuals they serve. Information on asthma and EPA's Asthma Initiative and the report: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/ahop.html