Nearly every asthma related hospitalization and death could be prevented with appropriate self-management that achieves and maintains disease control. However, as many as 64% of adults have uncontrolled asthma; minorities are disproportionately represented within that population. While inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a safe and effective treatment for uncontrolled asthma, relative to Whites, Blacks have lower rates of ICS adherence.
Black adults with uncontrolled asthma experience profound health disparities. Despite data that point to the critical need for enhanced asthma self-management, rates of controlled asthma are well below Healthy People 2020 targets, particularly among vulnerable populations. This Brief Evaluation of Asthma Therapy (BREATHE) intervention has the potential to offer a new avenue to asthma control via shared decision-making that supports ICS adherence.
