Ireland has the fourth highest incidence of asthma in the
world, with Irish children losing on average 10 days of school per annum
due to their asthma. It is highly probable that a large percentage of students
in each class in Irish schools have asthma and are required to manage
symptoms during the out-of-home period. Young people with chronic
illnesses such as asthma find themselves labelled and marginalized due to a
lack of awareness of others about their condition. Aims and objectives:
Young people who feel supported by their peers have been shown to have
higher levels of self-efficacy and fewer exacerbations of their asthma
symptoms. Methods: An on-line asthma e-learning program was developed
to provide support to teenagers who have asthma, and help them inform
their classmates and friends about asthma. A quasi-experimental approach
was used to pilot the educational intervention. Results: The results of the
pilot demonstrate that the program is effective. Teenagers who have asthma
found the e-learning program to be informative and relevant to them.
The increase in awareness of asthma among teenagers who did not have
asthma is shown to influence their confidence in assisting their peers who
are experiencing asthma symptoms.