Respiratory Review: Helping Children Cope with Asthma

• By Colin Foster, Cheryl Soleway
• Jun 01, 2002

Asthma is a major public health concern. Asthma's prevalence ranks within the top 10 chronic illnesses and costs our nation 12.7 billion in health care costs annually. Currently, one third of the 26 million people diagnosed with asthma are children under the age of 18.

A new and fun approach to asthma education is available for children and their families. It is a bright blue car named Zoey, the main character in the new books Zoey and the Zones, A Story for Children with Asthma and Zoey and the Zones, Companion Workbook for Parents of Children with Asthma. Written by Shawn McCormick, a registered respiratory therapist and Ginny Trevino, the books have created a lovable cast of characters that children with asthma can identify with and embrace in their educational journey to understanding their disease.

The education of asthma patients has been a crusade for co-author McCormick. after her experience in hospital-based management where asthma was the number one admitting diagnosis for the children's hospital where she worked. Currently, as the owner of a home medical equipment company, McCormick has seen first hand the need for educational products that engage children and their parents in learning the steps needed to manage this disease.

Together with co-author Ginny Trevino, a health care administrator, Zoey LP, was formed to provide asthma resources to patients and their families. This year, in an effort to increase consumer understanding of asthma and higher utilization of the medical devices necessary for successful management of asthma, Zoey LP is entering into a licensing relationship with Respironics HealthScan Allergy & Asthma Inc. This agreement will allow Pittsburgh-based Respironics to depict the Zoey characters on its medical devices for asthma patients.

Home medical equipment (HME) providers and health care professionals at pharmacies and hospitals will soon see the little blue car associated with Respironics peak flow meter, spacer or nebulizer. We believe that the combination of the books and the character identification on the Respironics products will increase compliance with young patients.

The Zoey children's book and the workbook, designed for use by both parents and children, lets families know that while it is tough having a chronic disease, asthma shouldn't stand in the way of living a happy and healthy life. Both books are based entirely on the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program's Expert Panel Report 2: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.

The 44-page children's story begins as Zoey learns he has asthma while trying to play soccer. He is diagnosed by his doctor, attends asthma classes, does well for awhile, decides he doesn't have asthma and suffers the consequences of not following his treatment plan. In the end, he triumphs over asthma, learning how to manage and control it.

The 122-page companion workbook is filled with information and practical steps for parents to help simplify the complexity of understanding and managing their child's asthma. Each section for parents is followed by a children's section filled with activities that encourage the parent and child to learn together.

This article originally appeared in the June 2002 issue of HME Business.