FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 07 2024
Contact: Jon Ebelt, Communications Director, DPHHS, (406) 444-0936, (406) 461-3757
jebelt@mt.gov
DPHHS Recognizes World Asthma Day
May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month and May 7th is World Asthma Day. This year, World Asthma Day takes place under the theme “Asthma Education Empowers”.
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Montana Asthma Control Program (MACP) are participating in World Asthma Day and Asthma Awareness Month to raise awareness about the health consequences and personal and financial costs of asthma.
Asthma is a common chronic disease of the respiratory tract affecting children and adults. Common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.
“While asthma can be controlled, asthma attacks can cause adults to miss work and children to miss school,” said BJ Biskupiak of the MACP for DPHHS. “ These dangerous and sometimes life-threatening episodes reduce the quality of life for people with asthma.”
Various factors are associated with an increased risk of asthma, including environmental factors, genetic predisposition, and lifestyle factors. Asthma tends to run in families and is more likely to occur in people with allergies. Several other factors can increase the risk of asthma, including low birth weight, exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution, or obesity.
The Montana Asthma Home Visiting Program (MAP) is a free education program available to Montana residents of any age living with uncontrolled asthma. The MAP involves six points of contact over a 12-month period with a health care professional trained in asthma education and environmental trigger control. Clients receive tailored asthma education, a home environmental assessment, linkages to social support, a spacer for medication delivery, and a HEPA air purifier.
“The good news is that we can raise awareness about asthma and how it can be controlled,” Biskupiak said. “ It’s essential that individuals receive the necessary education and medical management to effectively manage their condition and respond early to attacks, including knowing when to seek medical assistance.”
The five major parts of asthma self-management education are:
- Recognizing the early signs and symptoms of an asthma attack
- Knowing how to respond to an asthma attack
- Learning how to use a peak flow meter
- Creating an asthma action plan
- Taking a course on how to manage asthma
Results from visits with over 800 Montanans show participants report missing fewer days of school and work due to asthma while participating in the program and visiting the emergency department less frequently than before entering the program.
All participants said they experience fewer days with symptoms, and nearly all participants have good inhaler technique and an asthma action plan upon completing the program. More information on the MAP and other MACP activities can be found at, asthma.mt.gov.
Additional resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at www.cdc.gov/asthma.
To learn how to raise awareness about asthma, visit the Global Initiative for Asthma website.
For air quality information, visit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s websites, https://deq.mt.gov/air/ and http://todaysair.mtdeq.us/. A national fire and smoke map is also available from the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), https://fire.airnow.gov/.