School-Based Asthma Therapy Program Keeps Kids Healthy and Learning

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter

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April 22, 2025

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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

HealthDay

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TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Kids struggle with asthma as much at school as they do at home — possibly even more so, since it can be tough for them to access their medicine.

So why aren’t all schools offering them asthma therapy?

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A new study says that school-based asthma therapy is effective in helping kids breathe easier while away from home.

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These school programs keep kids healthier, and can save millions in health care costs, researchers report in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global.

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“We help families get better adherence to kids’ asthma control medication regimens by having the school nurses give them their meds on the days that they go to school,” lead researcher Kimberly Arcoleo, a professor at the Michigan State University College of Nursing, said in a news release.

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For the study, researchers tracked a school-based asthma therapy program implemented in two Columbus, Ohio, school districts between 2013 and 2019, involving 633 kids ranging in age from 5 to 19.

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“Students get two inhalers with controller medication, one that goes to school and one that stays home so it doesn’t have to move back and forth,” Arcoleo said. “The school nurse administers the medication to the kids each school day according to their health care provider’s instructions. Some kids need it once a day, some need it twice a day.”

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Medical records revealed that after a year in the school-based program, children experienced up to 56% increased control over their asthma on average.

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They also had about a 50% decrease in asthma-related hospitalizations and ER visits; about a 40% decrease in urgent care and acute care visits; and a 71% reduction in pediatric ICU stays, researchers found.

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