Asthma Foundation Awarded Project from CDC to Improve Asthma Control Among Underserved Adults
Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 09, 2015 -- The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has been awarded a 5-year cooperative agreement from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve the knowledge and skills of underserved adults with asthma. This is the 5th time in 14 years that AAFA has been awarded a project by the CDC and allows AAFA to continue vital efforts to educate people living with asthma.
AAFA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the more than 60 million Americans living with asthma and allergic diseases. During the 5-year project, AAFA will develop tools and evaluate a technology-based educational intervention to improve self-management and awareness among a critical at-risk population of people living with asthma. Working closely with the CDC and CDC’s state asthma programs, AAFA will build on its existing relationships and collaborations to widely disseminate the program.
The objective is to help patients understand and obtain appropriate asthma care, and to create “asthma-friendly” environments where they work, learn, live and play. This targeted asthma education program aims to use a technology-based intervention to improve the quality of life, self-management skills, attitudes and beliefs about asthma.
“Asthma is a chronic life-threatening disease, that continues to limit the lives of more than 25 million Americans,” says Cary Sennett, MD, PhD, President and CEO of AAFA. “We’re excited to combine AAFA’s technical skills and our educational experience to serve people with asthma in new and innovative ways.”
CDC’s National Asthma Control Program (NACP) was created in 1999 to help the millions of people with asthma in the United States gain control over their disease. The CDC leads national initiatives and partnerships with states, cities, school programs, and non-government organizations such as AAFA to carry out projects aimed at reducing the burden of asthma.
The NACP aims to reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school days or workdays missed, and limitations on activity due to asthma, and has improved asthma treatment, management, and control in the U.S. CDC’s funded programs have improved the quality of asthma care, improved asthma management in schools, and fostered policies to help reduce air pollution.
About AAFA
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1953, is the leading patient organization for people with asthma, allergies and related conditions. AAFA provides practical information, community-based services and support through a national network of chapters and support groups. AAFA provides health education, organizes state and national advocacy efforts and funds and conducts research to find better treatments and cures. For more information, visit http://www.aafa.org.
Contact for Media Only: Sanaz Eftekhari, AAFA External Affairs, sanaz(at)aafa(dot)org, 202-974-1225.
Sanaz Eftekhari, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, http://www.aafa.org, +1 2029741225, [email protected]
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