Chuang Gung Medical Foundation, Division of Pediatric Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology - UNREGISTERED VERSION

Asthma Friendly School Care Project in Taoyuan County

Cooperation Units:
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch
Taoyuan County Government
School Nurse Association of R.O.C

Introduction

       From 2000 to 2002, we conducted school nurse asthma care training programs in the junior high and elementary schools across the nation, organized 22 training classes, recruited 2652 schools, and trained 1936 school nurses. In addition to the training courses, we also conducted research on how professional asthma courses can improve awareness and professional knowledge in school nurses, and learned that drug use, drug inhalation skill and self-capacity also improved after the training courses.

       We conducted the ISAAC survey on asthma and allergies in children in 2003, targeting grade 1 elementary students and grade 2 junior students. We randomly selected students in 12 administrative districts of Taipei City and investigated 4,991 elementary students and 6,653 junior high students. The survey results showed that the asthma incidence of grade 1 elementary students was 19%; for junior high students age 13-14, the incidence was 14.3%; 7.0% of the students had asthma episodes even during the year of the survey. We also observed increased asthma incidence in elementary students in Taipei City: from 1.3% in 1974, to 12.7% in 1996, and the 19% in 2002 , a 15-fold increase over the span of 28 years. A 10-fold increase was similarly observed in grade 2 junior high students, calculated at 14.3% incidence. When compared with the identical ISAAC survey in 1996, the annual increase of asthma incident in the previous 6 years is 1.18%, illustrating the importance of the gradual increase of asthmatic children in Taiwan.

        At the start of 2011, the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Branch collaborated with the Taoyuan County Government, amassing a 5-part effort from the Taoyuan County Government, CGMH Linkou Branch, School Nurse Association of R.O.C, schools and families, to promote the Asthma-Friendly School Care Project in Taoyuan County, hoping to improve the care of the asthmatic students in the Taoyuan areas, and become the benchmark for the rest of Taiwan.

Purpose

1. To understand the prevalence of allergies in Taoyuan areas, and analyze the effects of ethnicity of children (aboriginal, foreign or domestic) and environment (mountainous or plains) on the prevalence of allergies.

2. To investigate the level of awareness and care of parents of asthmatic children in the Taoyuan areas. Medical care and health education will be provided to asthmatic children, and their progress monitored and assessed; differences in ethnicity (foreign, domestic, aboriginal) will also be assessed.

3. Implementing various teaching aids to improve the allergy care quality of school nurses in the Taoyuan areas.

4. Improve the pulmonary functions, drug use and life quality of students in elementary schools and remote campuses in the Taoyuan areas; promote an Asthma Friendly School and comprehensive care for asthmatic children, ensuring their safety in schools.

5. Provide seminars on allergy healthcare for students, teachers and parents in the remote campuses of Taoyuan areas.

6. Genetic analysis, tracking and prediction of allergies.