Asthma in Children

Despite a strong evidence-base for the efficacy of multilevel programs in reducing asthma symptoms among low-income preschool minority children, gaps remain in our understanding of how to best translate and scale up these efficacious interventions into sustainable programs that reduce known asthma health disparities. Head Start (HS) serves over one million low income children in the US each year by focusing on early learning, physical health, and family engagement. HS is committed to implementing evidence based programs to promote overall child well-being, and is focused on addressing asthma symptoms due to the deleterious impact on school absences and child development. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of a multi-level staff and family education program (ABC Asthma) that significantly reduced asthma symptoms and courses of oral corticosteroids. However, these interventions are not successfully integrated within community organizations for long-term sustainability. It is unknown how to best scale up and implement these evidence based asthma interventions into low resource community organizations that serve children at risk. Implementation strategies are frequently developed atheoretically and may not be tailored to the setting. The overall purpose of this project is to inform best practices of implementation of an asthma education program by 1) systematically evaluating the use of intervention mapping to develop a tailored implementation strategy in partnership with Head Start stakeholders, 2) examining both staff and organizational level determinants associated with implementation of ABC Asthma, and 3) evaluating the success of tailored implementation strategies on implementation outcomes and school absences and other health outcomes. The YMCA of Central Maryland have enthusiastically agreed to implement the Maryland ABC HS Asthma within 40 sites in four communities: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Prince George's County.

The proposed research addresses the limitations or lack of a digital platform to provide remote care of medically complex patients. Previous attempts have had poor clinical validity and suffered lack of patient engagement. The study team will deconstruct the previously implemented SMART platforms to create a roadmap, platform, and template to guide clinicians to create new tools. Results from Phase 1 of this project highlighted the need for connectivity between the SMART@Home app and Bluetooth-enable devices to provide objective disease activity data as well as integration with Epic electronic health record so that providers can use the data to inform treatment planning and decision making. A subsequent pilot user validation trial is also needed to confirm development goals were met. Conducting a pilot user validation trial of the SMART@Home asthma tracker, spirometer, and action plan is the purpose of the next phases of this study. A beta test the SMART@Home Asthma Tracker and asthma action plan algorithm will take place with approximately 8 participants. Beta testing will have participants record simulated increases in symptoms to ensure appropriate levels of care is communicated via the app. Then, a group of 40 adolescent (ages 12-17) patients with asthma for a 6-month pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Participants will be randomized into either the IMAAP SMART@Home (n=20) or control (n=20) groups following the completion of baseline measures to test the interactive asthma action plan functionality and impact.

Children with asthma from communities that experience health inequities frequently do not receive guideline-based asthma care, and as a result, account for a disproportionate percentage of asthma exacerbations, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. Project ASTHMA (Aligning with Schools To Help Manage Asthma) tests the effectiveness of school-based health centers as a delivery model to improve health outcomes by providing children with guideline-based asthma assessments and preventive medication management, directly observed therapy of their preventive medication to support adherence, and self-management support. If successful, this multicomponent intervention will represent a cost effective and sustainable model to reduce asthma morbidity in historically marginalized communities, and has the potential to impact communities throughout the United States where over 2,500 school-based health centers operate.

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive sequential implementation strategies based on facilitation in promoting the sustainable and widespread adoption and scaling up of the Integrated Care Pathway for Acute Asthma - ASMAbat across all Primary Care and Hospital Pediatric Services of Osakidetza - Basque Health Service.

The primary objective is to examine the efficacy of an mHealth adherence intervention (Asthma Ctrl) on adherence to daily inhaled corticosteroids as measured by electronically monitored adherence in adolescents with asthma. The secondary objective is to compare the effectiveness of three intervention strategies: 1. asthma management app (control); 2. Asthma Ctrl; 3. Asthma Ctrl+ on adherence, lung function, and health care utilization at post-intervention and 1- and 6-month follow-up. The third objective is to explore and contrast different challenges and combinations of challenges to identify which are most impactful in determining response to the three intervention strategies.

Unrestricted parental smoking habits are lifestyle risk behaviors associated with chronic, systemic inflammation, which promotes the pathogenesis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in early life contributes to the development of specific NCDs in children, i.e. asthma. Early preventive measures to improve lifestyle behavior in parents are therefore of utmost importance. The aim of ELIPSE-II is to assess whether an eHealth application intervention for parents is feasible and efficacious in lowering levels of urinary cotinine as a measure of second-hand smoke exposure in their children .

Asthma is a common inflammatory respiratory disease affecting 11% of Canadians, but its diagnosis remains challenging, leading to delays in treatment or overtreatment. Spirometry with a reversibility test and bronchial provocation testing (BPT), considered the gold standard, are the reference diagnostic methods. However, access to BPT is limited as it is performed in hospital settings. Type 2 inflammation biomarkers, the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophils (EOS), represent a potential alternative. In addition to their prognostic and theragnostic value, these markers predict a good response to inhaled corticosteroids in individuals aged ≥ 6 years with asthma. However, their use remains restricted to pulmonologists in specialized clinics and is not recommended as a diagnostic tool in Quebec. Despite studies demonstrating their diagnostic value in specialized settings, these tests remain underexplored in primary care and insufficiently studied in children under 12 years. The objective of ou study is to evaluate the relevance and performance of FeNO and blood eosinophils in the diagnosis of asthma in children referred in primary care with non-diagnostic spirometry.

The objective of this observational study is to assess the relevance of inflammometry (based on the measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil count (BEC)) as a tool for prioritizing respiratory diagnostic tests. The study will evaluate the role of inflammometry (FeNO and BEC) in prioritizing diagnostic respiratory tests. It will include patients aged six and older with suspected asthma, referred by non-pulmonologists for diagnostic asthma testing (spirometry or methacholine challenge test) at three hospital centers: Sherbrooke University Hospital Center (CHUS), Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU Sainte-Justine), and the Montreal Children's Hospital. The hypothesis is that using inflammometry as a prioritization tool would reduce diagnostic delays for high-risk patients with elevated biomarkers. This study could help shorten wait times, relieve congestion in diagnostic testing queues, and improve the diagnostic pathway. Additionally, it would enhance the interpretation of pulmonary function test results by incorporating inflammometry findings, leading to better patient stratification. Patients referred from primary care will undergo pulmonary function testing (spirometry ± methacholine challenge) and, as part of the study: FeNO measurement using a portable device Blood test for eosinophil count Questionnaire on asthma control and quality of life, completed at the visit and at follow-ups at 4, 8, and 12 months

The investigators propose a randomized controlled trial of Telehealth-Enhanced Asthma Care for Home After the Emergency Room (TEACH-ER) vs. enhanced care (EC). TEACH-ER includes: 1) brief, pictorial, and health literacy-informed asthma education in the ED, with color- and shape-coded labels provided for home asthma medications; 2) virtual primary care follow-up within 1 week of discharge using in-home telemedicine (Zoom) when possible, featuring provider prompts for guideline-based preventive therapy and home delivery of prescribed medications with pictorial action plans; 3) two additional in-home virtual visits to reinforce teaching, review treatment plans, label medications, and support effective management practices. The investigators will enroll 430 children (ages 3-12 yrs) from the two dedicated pediatric EDs in our region, and follow all participants for a 12-month period. The investigators will call caregivers to complete blinded follow-up telephone surveys at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after discharge. The investigators will assess the effectiveness of TEACH-ER in reducing the need for additional asthma-related ED visits or hospitalizations in the 1-months after enrollment. Additional outcomes of interest include asthma symptoms, medication adherence, absenteeism from work and school, quality of life, and the delivery of care consistent with national asthma care guidelines.

The overall goal of this research study is to evaluate a multi-level program called PRAGMATIC-S to improve the delivery of guideline-based asthma care through a unique partnership between clinical practices and schools. PRAGMATIC-S represents a novel approach that addresses multiple barriers to adherence by bridging primary care and schools, ensuring delivery of guideline-based asthma care to urban children across these settings thereby improving adherence to therapy and clinical outcomes.

Our UH3 clinical trial, "Reducing Asthma Attacks in Disadvantaged School Children with Asthma," seeks broad-scale implementation of our effective school-based approach to improve asthma disparities for children, ages 5-12 years, in low-income communities. The investigators will contextualize dissemination and implementation (D\&I) of our Colorado school-based asthma program (Col-SBAP) that reduces asthma exacerbations and missed school days, while also addressing social determinants of health. Our Better Asthma Control for Kids (BACK) Program will evaluate key metrics identified by diverse stakeholders during this dissemination trial in rural and small metropolitan areas of Colorado. Our clinical trial includes two implementation strategies: our standard Col-SBAP, titled BACK-Standard (BACK-S) and an enhanced community-centered approach, titled Back-Enhanced (BACK-E). These two strategies are designed for sustainable delivery by school asthma navigators and school nurses who coordinate with primary care and community resources. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) D\&I framework was applied with community partners during the UG3 planning phase to tailor implementation plans that meet local community needs, resources and priorities (EPIS Phases 1 \& 2). BACK-S and BACK-E will be delivered from years 1-3 with data collection for implementation and effectiveness outcomes in 4 Colorado regions. In year 4, the investigators will collect data for sustainment outcomes (EPIS phase 3). The investigators will apply the work from EPIS phases 1-3 to refine our "dissemination playbook" that guides adoption by other school systems (EPIS Phase 4). Our primary implementation hypothesis is: Reach will be greater among students when delivered using the BACK-E arm as compared to BACK-S. Our effectiveness hypothesis is: BACK will be more effective than usual care at reducing asthma exacerbations. The BACK playbook includes training materials and a calculation of return on investment. The investigators are targeting schools with high levels of uncontrolled asthma and asthma associated burden. Our UH3 trial includes partner engagement to ensure BACK is disseminated to diverse geopolitical areas of Colorado with attention to sustainability. Collectively, our approach will accelerate dissemination of BACK nationally to communities experiencing health inequities in pediatric asthma care.

The study investigators are interested in learning more about how drugs, that are given to children by their health care provider, act in the bodies of children and young adults in hopes to find the most safe and effective dose for children. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the PK of understudied drugs currently being administered to children per SOC as prescribed by their treating provider.

This study will assess the ability of a wearable stethoscope to monitor wheezing in high-risk asthma patients admitted at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. This study is important to assist in the health management of patients with chronic lung diseases that can experience exacerbations leading to their health worsening and requiring hospitalization. The population that will be approached for this study will include 10 pediatric subjects hospitalized at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for an asthma-related exacerbation. Participants will wear the patches for up to 8 hours on their chest and back wall from their date of consent until their hospital discharge. This may range from the participant taking part in 1 to 14 visits that could last up to 8 hours.

The goal of this research trial is to: 1) Solidify a population health SBAT implementation strategy with our longstanding community collaborators, 2) Perform a district-wide hybrid type 3, stepped-wedge, cluster randomized trial, and 3) Assess the supportive resource utilization and essential features of SBAT to extend sustainability and fidelity in a cost-effective manner.

Caregiver-child dyads will be recruited during child's hospital admission for asthma exacerbation. Recruitment sites will be mainly Children's National Hospital Sheikh Zayed campus, as well as regional partners: Holy Cross Hospital, and Mary Washington Hospital. After enrollment, baseline data will be collected from caregiver. Caregiver-child dyads will be randomized (1:1 ratio) into the control arm or intervention arm. Control arm will receive the standard of care after hospital discharge. Intervention arm will receive the SOC plus an asthma navigator support after hospital discharge. Caregivers in both arms will complete data collection surveys (either in-person or via telehealth) at 3-,6-, 9-, and 12- month post enrollment.

Randomized controlled trial of soluble fiber (Fruitafit Inulin). Participants will complete an ASA 24 dietary recall questionnaire to access their fiber intake. If eligible for the study, participants will be supplemented to their target fiber dosage with either soluble fiber (Fruitafit Inulin) or placebo. Collection of blood serum, fecal samples, and nasal wash will aid in analyzing the microbes present in one's gut and how fiber and diet may impact it. Thus, allowing researchers to better understand the pathways that may connect diet and asthma and if it is possible to improve asthma by altering one's diet.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness and implementation of delivering Enhanced Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-B), an evidence-based maternal depression treatment, to mothers of children under the age of 18 in an urban pediatric asthma clinic. Researchers will compare Enhanced IPT-B and supplemented usual care (brief care coordination). The main questions the trial aims to answer are: 1. Does Enhanced IPT-B decrease maternal depressive symptoms? 2. Does Enhanced IPT-B improve child asthma management and health outcomes (exacerbations, symptoms, control)? 3. What are the preliminary implementation outcomes of delivering Enhanced IPT-B in an urban pediatric asthma clinic?

Standardization According to GINA 2025 Recommendations for the Treatment, Management, and Follow-up of Acute Asthma Attacks: Observational, Multicenter Cohort Study.

Nature of potential dysbiosis, interrelation of the different microbiomes of the respiratory tract, and potential role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of severe asthma in infants, and its evolution under treatment. Exploring and understanding these data is to improve patient care and discover new therapeutic targets. The aim is to open up prospects for therapeutic studies, such as the use of azithromycin as an immunomodulator in infant asthma, the results of which are discordant.

The goal of this research trial is to: 1) Develop a SMART-SBAT protocol specifically designed for schools, 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of SMART-SBAT vs. usual care using a district wide, stepped-wedge type 1 cluster randomized trial and 3) Evaluate the process of implementing SMART-SBAT to contextualize effectiveness outcomes and inform future scale-up.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a long-term lung condition affecting 1 in 11 children and young people in the UK. Many teenagers have well controlled asthma, but a significant number continue to experience regular symptoms and asthma attacks leading to hospitalisations. While non-adherence to medication is a factor, teenagers also face challenges like changing relationships with parents and peers, avoiding triggers like smoking, and fitting in treatment with daily life demands. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) also face difficulties in managing teenagers with asthma. A previous study, funded by Asthma + Lung UK, developed a new approach to manage teenage asthma by focusing on self-efficacy, which is how confident one feels about performing a task. Teenagers completed the Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ), which identified areas where they needed more support. HCPs then tailored their consultations to address these needs. This approach improved the teenagers' confidence in self-managing their asthma. Improving quality of life (QoL) is a key goal in asthma care. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine if the self-efficacy approach improves QoL for teenagers with asthma. METHODS: Teenagers aged 12-18 years with asthma will be recruited from hospital clinics. They will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1. Teenager will complete the AASEQ at the start of their appointment. The HCPs will use this to focus the consultation on areas where the teenager needs support in self-managing their asthma. 2. Teenager will have their usual consultation with the HCP. Three months after the appointment, the QoL will be compared between the two groups using a standardised questionnaire. IMPACT: If the self-efficacy approach proves to be beneficial, it could help HCPs to empower teenagers to better manage their asthma and ultimately improve their quality of life.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare soy isoflavones to placebo in children who at risk of asthma and have a genetic variation which results in them making more of a pro-inflammatory protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. The main questions this trail seeks to answer is: will soy isoflavones decrease the proportion of infants with aT2 high endotype at the end of treatment, and secondarily decrease the number of wheezing episodes in these children when given in the first year of life. Participants will be asked to ingest soy isoflavone or placebo twice daily mixed into a liquid or puree vehicle for 7 months from randomization. There will be 3 mandatory in-person visits, and 6 virtual visits in the first year. There will also be 11 monthly questionnaires and 1 in person visit in the observation year. Participants will have 4 nasal swabs, 3 blood draws, and also provide 4 stool samples over the course of the study.

The goal of this observational study is to improve the identification of biomarkers that predict disease progression and to assess the effectiveness of current therapies in children with asthma and protracted bacterial bronchitis. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the microbiome composition and diversity, cellular composition, and metabolomic profile. In addition, to assess their correlation on subsequent treatment and disease course in children with asthma, protracted bacterial bronchitis, and in those receiving inhaled glucocorticosteroids without a diagnosis of asthma. Participants will undergo fiberoptic bronchoscopy. During bronchoscopy, the performing physician will collect Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples for metagenomic and metabolomic analysis, as well as mucosal biopsies for histopathological evaluation.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CHAMPION ("Comparative-effectiveness of a Healthy lifestyle and Asthma Management Program, In-person vs ONline"), a primary care-based intervention to address childhood obesity and asthma, and test the effectiveness of a telehealth-only version of the program. Intensive Health Behavior and Lifestyle Treatment (IHBLT), when delivered via telehealth vs. in-person among children with overweight or obesity and persistent asthma.

GPs are one of the key players in the early diagnosis of chronic diseases, such as asthma in pre-school children, by detecting symptoms of illness as early as possible. Patient health data is collected on an ongoing basis in GPs' electronic medical records, but remains little exploited despite its potential. Helping GPs to identify asthma in pre-school children, based on the information in their electronic medical records, could help them to diagnose the condition early and thereby reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with it. An algorithm developed and evaluated in a primary care data warehouse should help GPs to identify children with a diagnosis of asthma at an early stage.