Evaluation of a pilot national online asthma e-learning program for secondary school students.

Abstract

Background: Ireland has the fourth highest incidence of asthma in the world, with Irish children losing on average 10 days of school per annum due to their asthma. It is highly probable that a large percentage of students in each class in Irish schools have asthma and are required to manage symptoms during the out-of-home period. Young people with chronic illnesses such as asthma find themselves labelled and marginalized due to a lack of awareness of others about their condition.

Aims and objectives: Young people who feel supported by their peers have been shown to have higher levels of self-efficacy and fewer exacerbations of their asthma symptoms.

Methods: An on-line asthma e-learning program was developed to provide support to teenagers who have asthma, and help them inform their classmates and friends about asthma. A quasi-experimental approach was used to pilot the educational intervention.

Results: The results of the pilot demonstrate that the program is effective. Teenagers who have asthma found the e-learning program to be informative and relevant to them. The increase in awareness of asthma among teenagers who did not have asthma is shown to influence their confidence in assisting their peers who are experiencing asthma symptoms.