Health Promotion Model
Breathe Easy: A Health Promotion Model On Asthma Management In School Age (7-11 Year Old) Children
Introduction
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (from WHO, 1946, in Park, 2005) and Health Promotion has been defined as an enterprise involving the development over time, in individuals and communities, of basic and positive states of and conditions for physical, mental and social health (Raeburn and Rootman, 1998, p.11). This idea of health promotion has been borne out of acceptance of the limitations of curative medicine and therefore, the need to 'refocus upstream' (Kemm and Close, 1995, p.7). And it is these principles we have adopted in the development of our health promotion model on asthma management in school age children, titled 'Breathe Easy'.
The word 'asthma' is derived from the Greek word 'aazein', meaning 'sharp breath' (Wikipedia, 2007). It is a chronic inflammatory disorder which causes hyper responsiveness of airways to certain stimuli ( known as an asthma triggers) resulting in recurrent variable airflow limitation, at least partly reversible, presenting as wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, particularly at night or early morning (Asthma UK, 2007).
Asthma is the most common chronic condition in the UK and while much is spent on clinical research and treatment, the cause (or causes) of the disease remains a mystery (Health Development Agency, 2005). It is however known to be familial with environmental factors playing an important role in its expression. Certain allergens act as stimuli and trigger symptoms. These include airborne allergens (e.g. pollen), animal fur and air pollutants (such as tobacco smoke or traffic fumes). Other triggers include stress and anxiety, respiratory infection, exercise and cold weather (Asthma UK, 2007). What triggers asthma differs from one person to another (ibid).
Asthma is a growing problem in the UK, where
Introduction
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (from WHO, 1946, in Park, 2005) and Health Promotion has been defined as an enterprise involving the development over time, in individuals and communities, of basic and positive states of and conditions for physical, mental and social health (Raeburn and Rootman, 1998, p.11). This idea of health promotion has been borne out of acceptance of the limitations of curative medicine and therefore, the need to 'refocus upstream' (Kemm and Close, 1995, p.7). And it is these principles we have adopted in the development of our health promotion model on asthma management in school age children, titled 'Breathe Easy'.
The word 'asthma' is derived from the Greek word 'aazein', meaning 'sharp breath' (Wikipedia, 2007). It is a chronic inflammatory disorder which causes hyper responsiveness of airways to certain stimuli ( known as an asthma triggers) resulting in recurrent variable airflow limitation, at least partly reversible, presenting as wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, particularly at night or early morning (Asthma UK, 2007).
Asthma is the most common chronic condition in the UK and while much is spent on clinical research and treatment, the cause (or causes) of the disease remains a mystery (Health Development Agency, 2005). It is however known to be familial with environmental factors playing an important role in its expression. Certain allergens act as stimuli and trigger symptoms. These include airborne allergens (e.g. pollen), animal fur and air pollutants (such as tobacco smoke or traffic fumes). Other triggers include stress and anxiety, respiratory infection, exercise and cold weather (Asthma UK, 2007). What triggers asthma differs from one person to another (ibid).
Asthma is a growing problem in the UK, where
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