Asthma shouldn’t take anyone’s breath away, and yet the need for public education about the disease is unquestioned. A government report issued recently noted that “Asthma affects 14 million to 15 million people, including 4.8 million children. It is the most common chronic disease of childhood. People with asthma collectively have more than 100 million days of restricted activity and 470,000 hospitalizations annually. More than 5,000 people die of asthma annually. Allergists, as specialists who treat asthma, are very familiar with not only these statistics but also the human dimensions of the disease.

The government report also noted that public education about asthma is probably the most important strategy in bringing the disease under control. To help address this need, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology launched a Nationwide Asthma Screening Program to provide not only asthma information, but also motivation to seek early and accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

The Nationwide Asthma Screening Program was designed to accomplish public education objectives for both the association and its members. For the public, the goal was to help adults and children recognize whether their breathing problems might be asthma, and to know where to go for a professional diagnosis. For the association members, the goal was to position allergists as the medical specialists who treat asthma. The program also was designed to have association members working together at the grassroots level on an activity that was shared with colleagues across the country.

The target audiences for the program included: asthmatics – both diagnosed and undiagnosed; parents of children with asthma; minorities with a high incidence of asthma; patient support groups; consumer media; allied health professionals such as nurses and respiratory therapists; and ACAAI members and other health professionals such as pulmonologists.

The campaign began with a pilot project in Kansas City. Ten local allergists conducted a weekend screening program at a local shopping mall with help from respiratory therapists, nurses and a local patient support group. A special Screening Registration and Report Form was created, based on an LQ (Life Quality) Test created specifically for the program. The LQ Test helped participants identify lifestyle compromises caused by coping with asthma symptoms. Participants took a spirometry test to measure the breathing capacity of their lungs and met with an allergist to determine whether referral was appropriate. Local publicity was used to help spread the news about asthma and to drive participants to the screening. About 130 adults and children – one person every five minutes – were screened during the program with almost two-thirds referred for a professional diagnosis. Twenty-three media placements about the program reached a combined audience of more than 1 million. Based on the success of the pilot project, the ACAAI decided to launch a nationwide program target 100 sites across the country.

The strategy for the nationwide program: the best way to educate people is to involve them in an interesting and helpful activity. People with breathing problems were invited to participate in an asthma screening program in their community, or take an asthma self-quiz available through a toll-free number. Specific tactics included:

Logo and Theme Development. A special theme, “Don’t Let Asthma Take Your Breath Away," was created for the program. The theme was illustrated with a dramatic black window shade mostly hiding blue sky and fluffy clouds, and the fresh air they symbolize. The logo and theme were used on program materials.

Annual Meeting. ACAAI members were introduced to the nationwide program at the association’s annual meeting where they had an opportunity to view an exhibit and video highlighting the results of the pilot program and sign up to be a local screening program coordinator for screening site. After signing up, a recruitment mailing was distributed and phone calls were placed to confirm members’ participation in the program.

Screening Program Manual. A “Local Coordinator’s Manual” was created and distributed to provide a step-by-step “cookbook” on how to plan, publicize and conduct a local screening program. The manual also provided sample publicity and recruitment materials, timelines, protocol, suggestions for forming partnerships with other groups and materials to be used at the screening program.

Public Education and Support Materials/Help Line. Public education and support materials, including a poster, brochures and Screening Registration and Report Form, were provided in a kit to each screening program coordinator to use to promote the program. Local coordinators could call a telephone Help Line at anytime for assistance in planning and executing their programs.

National Media and Member Relations. A national media relations campaign was planned to promote the Nationwide Asthma Screening Program. The availability of a toll-free LQ (Life Quality) Hotline was publicized so that people who were unable to attend a local screening program could still receive a 20-question LQ Test, a self-quiz to help determine if they have symptoms of uncontrolled asthma. Internal ACAAI publications and direct mail were used to promote the campaign to members to build support and excitement for the new initiative. Promotional components of the campaign included a press kit, video news release, Web site listing the date and location of each asthma screening program, posters mailed to all ACAAI members, a “Special Report” bulletin announcing the launch and the results of the campaign to ACAAI members, and ACAAI newsletter articles providing periodic updates on the program.

The campaign has achieved all its objectives:

• Hundreds of ACAAI members participated in the campaign.
• More than 40,000 calls were placed to the LQ Hotline.
• More than 3,000 adults and children were screened with half referred for a professional diagnosis.
• About 40 million people were reached through local and national media.

ACAAI members have expressed their near unanimous enthusiasm for the campaign: “One of the best ACAAI programs ever!” “I met and worked with my colleagues in the community for the first time!” “We’re going to do this again next year, aren’t we?!” Of great importance and benefit to ACAAI members was the manner in which the campaign linked allergists and asthma in public perception.