Chronic disease poses increasing threat to individual and community health. The day-to-day manager of disease is the patient who undertakes actions with the guidance of a clinician. The ability of the patient to control the illness through an effective therapeutic plan is significantly influenced by social and behavioral factors. This article…

Researchers interested in health-related learning have recently begun to study processes people use to self-regulate their health and their ability to prevent or control chronic disease. This paper represents a social cognitive view of self-regulation that involves three classes of influence on self-regulating behavior: personal, behavioral, and…

Objectives: We assessed policy and system changes and health outcomes produced by the Allies Against Asthma program, a 5-year collaborative effort by 7 community coalitions to address childhood asthma. We also explored associations between community engagement and outcomes. Methods: We interviewed a sample of 1,477 parents of children with asthma…

Rationale: Asthma is a variable condition with an apparent tendency for a natural decline in asthma symptoms and health care use occurring as children age. As a result, asthma interventions using a pre-post design may overestimate the intervention effect when no proper control group is available. Objectives: Investigate patterns of natural decline…

A randomized controlled trial of two formats of a program (Women Take PRIDE) to enhance management of heart disease by patients was conducted. Older women (N = 575) were randomly assigned to a group or self-directed format or to a control group. Data regarding symptoms, functional health status, and weight were collected at baseline and at 4, 12,…

Objective: We evaluated the effectiveness of a continuing medical education program, Physician Asthma Care Education, in improving pediatricians' asthma therapeutic and communication skills and patients' health care utilization for asthma. Methods: We conducted a randomized trial in 10 regions in the United States. Primary care providers were…

Background: Schools are an ideal setting for implementation of asthma interventions for children; however, sustaining school-based programs can be challenging. This study illustrates policy and practice changes brought about through the Childhood Asthma Linkages in Missouri (CALM) program to sustain such programs. Methods: Researchers analyzed…

A randomized controlled trial of two formats of a program (Women Take PRIDE) to enhance management of heart disease by patients was conducted. Older women (N = 575) were randomly assigned to a group or self-directed format or to a control group. Data regarding symptoms, functional health status, and weight were collected at baseline and at 4, 12,…

Background: Asthma is a serious problem for low-income preteens living in disadvantaged communities. Among the chronic diseases of childhood and adolescence, asthma has the highest prevalence and related health care use. School-based asthma interventions have proven successful for older and younger students, but results have not been demonstrated…

The Early Childhood Asthma Project involved asthma case identification in 35 Head Start centers in Detroit, MI, and attempted implementation of an intervention designed to help families manage a child's asthma more effectively. Surveys were distributed to the parents of all Head Start children (3408), and 2198 complete surveys were returned. Case…

Investigated future outlook as an aspect of family caregiving and care-receiving. Results indicated restricted future outlook was associated with situations of greater impairment, more extensive assistance, and greater stress. A mixed outcome emerged in regard to the congruence between views of caregivers and receivers about the health care…

This article describes the challenges and strengths of asthma management in 14 low-income, predominantly African American urban elementary schools serving more than 5,000 students. Asthma prevalence was 24.5%. Teachers, school principals, parents, and children described how asthma was managed at school. Data from classmates of students with asthma…