What Level of Knowledge Do Elementary School Teachers Possess Concerning the Care of Children With Asthma? A Pilot Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2011.07.004Get rights and content

A self-report questionnaire was used to assess the level of knowledge among a convenience sample of 34 elementary school teachers in a rural school district in Illinois. The questionnaire addressed general asthma knowledge and management, including signs and symptoms, triggers, and treatment. The results suggest a knowledge deficit among this sample of elementary school teachers; the average score was 75%. Teachers with an increased exposure/experience with asthma scored significantly higher than did those with limited exposure. Implications of these findings for schools in rural areas are discussed.

Section snippets

Population

The target population was 38 elementary school teachers. Teachers were required to be able read and write in English and be willing to participate. There were 30 classroom teachers as well as 2 physical or special education, 1 music, 1 art, and 4 special education/reading teachers responsible for the students (K-fourth grade) throughout the school day. There were no exclusion criteria.

Setting

Data collection took place in a rural school district in Illinois, which encompassed 173 square miles. Within

Results

A total of 38 questionnaires were distributed. Building A and Building B personnel completed 19 and 15 questionnaires, respectively. The return rate equaled 89.5% (n = 34). The typical respondent was a bachelor- or master's-degree-prepared classroom teacher with 11 to 20 years of teaching experience. The majority (85.3%, n = 29) reported that they received no formal training on asthma during their coursework. Only 32.4% (n = 11) reported having received training on asthma during teacher

Discussion

The results of this study suggest that elementary school teachers participating in this study are in need of additional education regarding childhood asthma. In addition, scores for teachers who did and did not have a degree in health care or had personal exposure to individuals with asthma suggest that additional education or exposure to individuals with asthma may increase an individual's general knowledge of this condition. This finding supports those schools that desire to institute a

References (11)

  • V.O. Baker et al.

    Asthma management: Part I: An overview of the problem and current trends

    The Journal of School Nursing

    (2002)
  • J.C. Barrett

    Teaching teachers about school health emergencies

    The Journal of School Nursing

    (2001)
  • J. Brookes et al.

    Schoolteachers' perceptions and knowledge of asthma in primary schoolchildren

    British Journal of General Practice

    (1992)
  • J.M. Bruzzese et al.

    Asthma knowledge and asthma management behavior in urban elementary school teachers

    Journal of Asthma

    (2010)
  • CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

    Asthma prevalence, health care use and mortality: United States, 2003–05

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (18)

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.