A Patient-Centered Asthma Management Communication Intervention for Rural Latino Children

The purpose of this research is to develop and evaluate an mHealth communication intervention designed to improve asthma medication adherence amongst rural Latino children in South Carolina.

The overall prevalence of asthma is highest in the US south, which has one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the country. In South Carolina, asthma is the leading cause of children's hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits, with significant direct and indirect costs. Although rates of childhood asthma are lower in Latinos (with the exception of children of Puerto Rican origin) than in whites, Latinos are more likely to have a higher incidence of uncontrolled asthma symptoms, ED visits, repeat hospitalizations, and poorer health in general. Current interventions addressing asthma control include outpatient clinic based and home visitation programs. Rural Latino families have difficulty participating with these types of programs due to work, family, and transportation constraints. The adaptability of mobile apps holds the potential to target the unique challenges to management experienced by rural Latino children with asthma experience. The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate a patient-centered collaborative intervention between rural Latino children with asthma and their families, school-based nursing, and primary care providers, facilitated by the use of a smart phone based bilingual mobile app. The specific aims are to: 1. Produce and validate a Spanish translation of an existing asthma management app and evaluate its usability with Latino parents of children with asthma; and 2. Develop and evaluate a triadic, patient-centered asthma intervention preliminary protocol, facilitated by the bilingual mobile app validated in aim 1.