CHILDREN with persistent asthma who received school-based therapy in Columbus, Ohio experienced marked improvements in asthma control and a sharp reduction in healthcare utilization, according to new research.
The 6-year retrospective study reviewed data from 2013 to 2019 for students aged 5 to 19 who participated in a school-based asthma therapy (SBAT) program. The intervention included systematic asthma screening and daily administration of controller medications during the school day, key strategies to address poor adherence and under-treatment, which remain common in pediatric asthma.
Outcomes were measured through the Asthma Control Test (ACT), healthcare provider (HCP) ratings, and asthma-related healthcare visits. One year after SBAT enrollment, researchers found a 37% increase in well-controlled asthma scores via ACT and a 56% improvement by HCP assessments.
Notably, the intervention correlated with substantial reductions in healthcare resource utilization:
Emergency department visits dropped by 49%
Hospitalizations by 50%
PICU admissions by 71%
Urgent care visits by 41%
Acute care visits by 38%
The data also highlight the program’s potential to reduce disparities. Among Black children, asthma control improved by 40% (ACT) and 66% (HCP), while hospitalizations and PICU admissions dropped by 49% and 67%, respectively. Latino children experienced a 100% reduction in PICU admissions, a 62% drop in ED visits, and a 55% ACT improvement.
These findings support SBAT as a viable model for improving controller medication adherence and mitigating asthma morbidity in school-aged children. The approach may also play a role in addressing longstanding disparities in asthma outcomes across racial and ethnic groups.
As healthcare professionals seek scalable, evidence-based solutions for pediatric asthma, school-based care models may offer a promising path forward.
Reference: Arcoleo K et al. School-based asthma therapy: Improving medication adherence, asthma control, and health care utilization. JACI: Global. 2025;4(2):100428.
