Monday, May 12, 2025
5/12/2025
Reducing Asthma Attacks in Disadvantaged School Children with Asthma - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Our re-submission proposal, “Reducing Asthma Attacks in Disadvantaged School Children with Asthma,” seeks broad-scale implementation of our effective school-based approach to improve asthma disparities for children in low-income communities (ages 5 to 12 years). Using community-based participatory methods with high risk populations and communities, we will contextualize dissemination and implementation (D&I) of our Colorado school-based asthma program (Col-SBAP) that reduces asthma exacerbations and missed school days, while also addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) which our pilot identified as major drivers of asthma disparities. We will evaluate key metrics identified by diverse stakeholders during a dissemination trial in rural and small metropolitan areas of Colorado. Our dissemination trial will include two interventions: our evidence-based Col-SBAP and an evidence-based assessment and management approach to key SDOH. Our pilot data show both interventions are critical to improve asthma disparities for children from low income families. This two-step level of intervention, called Stop Asthma Attacks (SAA), will be designed for sustainable delivery by school asthma navigators and school nurses who coordinate with primary care and community resources. In partnership with our community stakeholders, the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) D&I framework will be applied during the UG3 planning phase to iteratively adapt our current implementation guide to tailored implementation plans that meet local community and site-specific needs, resources and priorities (EPIS Phases 1 & 2). We will then conduct a UH3 dissemination trial with a randomized stepped-wedge study design in asthma “hot spot” school systems across five Colorado regions to evaluate implementation strategies across asthma “hot spot” school systems (EPIS phase 3, UH3 trial) and to apply the work from EPIS phases 1-3 to develop a “dissemination playbook” to guide future program adoption by other school systems (EPIS Phase 4). The central hypothesis is that SAA will have broad and equitable Reach (primary outcome), and yield important benefits in reducing asthma attacks and symptoms, as compared to schools that have not yet implemented SAA. The SAA playbook will be designed to promote the sustainable adoption of SAA, including training materials and a calculation of return on investment. Our proposal is responsive to and addresses key elements of NHLBI HL-20-003 by “testing late-stage (T4) implementation research strategies” and “promoting and improving population health in high- burden communities” by using a public health approach to target “hot spot” schools with high levels of uncontrolled asthma and asthma associated burden. This proposal will both include a rigorous stakeholder engagement process to ensure SAA is disseminated to diverse geopolitical areas of Colorado with attention to sustainability. Collectively, this evaluation and playbook will accelerate dissemination of SAA nationally to communities experiencing health inequities in pediatric asthma care.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).