Intervention Improves Asthma Control in Inner-City Children

An intervention that uses social workers to educate inner-city children on controlling their asthma is a cost-effective way to reduce the number of days that children exhibit asthma symptoms, researchers reported in the October 2002 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In this study involving 1033 children living in 8 inner-city areas, those who participated in the asthma intervention program had an average of 26.6 fewer days with asthma symptoms, compared with a control group. Although health care costs in general were $245 higher for children receiving the intervention, a cost savings was found among children with more severe disease. Costs were reduced by as much as $2509 per child when there were 1 or more hospital visits, $1050 per child when there were 2 or more unscheduled visits, and $220 per child when the children had asthma symptoms on more than 50% of the days.