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The Impact of Asthma Health Education for Parents of Children Attending Head Start Centers

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Abstract

Parents of children who attend Head Start Centers are key participants in the health promotion and care of their own children. This non-randomized, longitudinal study aimed to test the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the asthma and healthy homes curriculum targeting parents of Head Start children with or without an asthma diagnosis. One hundred and fifteen parents of children in Head Start Centers received an educational intervention at their corresponding sites, additionally pre- and post-test surveys were administered to measure educational intervention outcomes. A follow-up survey was conducted 6 months after the educational intervention was offered. Results showed a statistically significant increase in asthma and healthy home-knowledge (p < 0.001) in several areas. At 6 months post-intervention (54.4 %) (61 participants) were contacted and 98.4 % of made changes in their households as a result of their training. This study suggests that education can improve knowledge and change behaviors for the well-being of the residents of that household.

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Acknowledgments

This project was undertaken with funds obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the Texas Asthma Control Program—Centers for Disease Control, Texas Asthma Control Program Contract No. 2010-034647. The authors wish to extend their gratitude to the administrators, staff and parents from the Hidalgo County Head Start Centers for their interest and willingness to collaborate in this study. Special acknowledgment and thanks go to Mr. Aldo Martinez and Ms. Celene Vela, Master of Public Health Candidates at the Texas A&M Health Science Center–School of Rural Public Health, for their collaboration in the delivery of training at Head Start Centers in Hidalgo County.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2101 South McColl Road, McAllen, TX, 78503, USA

    Genny Carrillo Zuniga

  2. Texas Asthma Control Program, Adult Health and Chronic Disease Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W. 49th Street, RM T-402, Austin, TX, USA

    Sarah Kirk

  3. Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2101 South McColl Road, McAllen, TX, USA

    Nelda Mier

  4. School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, McAllen Campus, 2101 South McColl Road, McAllen, TX, 78503, USA

    Norma I. Garza & Rose L. Lucio

  5. Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Rural and Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2101 South McColl Road, McAllen, TX, 78503, USA

    Miguel A. Zuniga

Authors
  1. Genny Carrillo Zuniga
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  2. Sarah Kirk
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  3. Nelda Mier
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  4. Norma I. Garza
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  5. Rose L. Lucio
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  6. Miguel A. Zuniga
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Correspondence to Genny Carrillo Zuniga.

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Carrillo Zuniga, G., Kirk, S., Mier, N. et al. The Impact of Asthma Health Education for Parents of Children Attending Head Start Centers. J Community Health 37, 1296–1300 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9571-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9571-y

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