TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceived Factors Affecting Asthma Among Adolescents
T2 - Experiences and Findings From the Student Asthma Research Team Pilot Study
AU - Gupta, Ruchi S.
AU - Lau, Claudia H.
AU - Springston, Elizabeth E.
AU - Warren, Christopher M.
AU - Mears, Cynthia J.
AU - Dunford, Christine M.
AU - Sharp, Lisa K.
AU - Holl, Jane L.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the Chicago Public Schools, especially Principal Stephanie Moore, Health Center Community Advocate Laurie Odell, Community Resource Coordinator Cindi Couperus, and Research Coordinator Maria Kroll for their support and collaboration. Additionally, special thanks to medical students Sam Haywood, John Kubasiak, Yaw Nyame, and Amber Alencar for their assistance during the preliminary stages of curriculum development and during the implementation of the afterschool program. This study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars Program.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Objective: To describe the development, implementation, and findings of a participatory media-based asthma afterschool program. Methods: A pilot study was conducted during the 2010/2011 school year in an inner-city Chicago high school with high asthma rates and poor asthma morbidity. Students met after school twice a week over 10 weeks. Students were given basic training in research and media production using photovoice participatory research technique and were instructed to identify personally relevant factors affecting asthma through photography and journaling. Students' journal entries and photographs were qualitatively coded. Relative frequencies of codes were calculated to determine common themes among identified factors. Students worked with a videographer to compile their findings into informational videos, which were used to educate peers and community members about asthma. Results: Fifteen students aged 13 to 18 attended a mean of 11 sessions (out of 20). One hundred eighty photographs (mean = 12 per student) and 112 journal entries (mean = 7.5 per student) were reviewed, with 4 predominant positive and negative factors identified. Reported factors influencing students' health and asthma included social support (22% of student photos and journal entries), neighborhood environment (17%), and lifestyle (28%), in addition to well-established asthma factors (43%). Conclusions: Results from the Student Asthma Research Team pilot demonstrate that adolescent students, given appropriate instruction and opportunity, are able to identify factors affecting their asthma. Interventions engaging adolescents via self-directed identification and participatory media production techniques hold promise as vehicles for enabling students to own and share health-related experiences through research and peer/community outreach.
AB - Objective: To describe the development, implementation, and findings of a participatory media-based asthma afterschool program. Methods: A pilot study was conducted during the 2010/2011 school year in an inner-city Chicago high school with high asthma rates and poor asthma morbidity. Students met after school twice a week over 10 weeks. Students were given basic training in research and media production using photovoice participatory research technique and were instructed to identify personally relevant factors affecting asthma through photography and journaling. Students' journal entries and photographs were qualitatively coded. Relative frequencies of codes were calculated to determine common themes among identified factors. Students worked with a videographer to compile their findings into informational videos, which were used to educate peers and community members about asthma. Results: Fifteen students aged 13 to 18 attended a mean of 11 sessions (out of 20). One hundred eighty photographs (mean = 12 per student) and 112 journal entries (mean = 7.5 per student) were reviewed, with 4 predominant positive and negative factors identified. Reported factors influencing students' health and asthma included social support (22% of student photos and journal entries), neighborhood environment (17%), and lifestyle (28%), in addition to well-established asthma factors (43%). Conclusions: Results from the Student Asthma Research Team pilot demonstrate that adolescent students, given appropriate instruction and opportunity, are able to identify factors affecting their asthma. Interventions engaging adolescents via self-directed identification and participatory media production techniques hold promise as vehicles for enabling students to own and share health-related experiences through research and peer/community outreach.
KW - adolescents
KW - asthma management
KW - asthma triggers
KW - community-based participatory research
KW - neighborhood
KW - participatory action research
KW - photovoice
KW - social support
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U2 - 10.1177/2150129712472342
DO - 10.1177/2150129712472342
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84990386002
VL - 4
SP - 226
EP - 234
JO - Journal of Asthma and Allergy Educators
JF - Journal of Asthma and Allergy Educators
SN - 2150-1297
IS - 5
ER -