This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 13, 2012 - Two national groups have begun a public awareness campaign to reduce high levels of asthma in three zip codes in St. Louis. The locations, all on the city's north side, are among reasons St. Louis ranks 7th nationally in asthma, according to the two sponsors of the campaign.
GlaxoSmithKline is awarding $150,000 to the American Lung Association to develop and coordinate a three-month pilot program to raise awareness about asthma among residents in the targeted zip codes -- 63106, 63107 and 63113.
St. Louis Health Department data from 2008 show that the three zips, along with 63120, had the city's highest asthma-related hospitalization rates, ranging from 5 to 8.9 for every 1,000 residents. Asthma-related emergency room use also was high -- 18.6 to 29.4 for each 1,000 people. The data is from 2008, the most recent information available.
Funding from GSK is being used to develop campaign material, buy media spots, plan events, and provide outreach in the targeted areas. GSK hopes the campaign will "help inform future programs that support healthy communities in the United States," says Sarah Alspach, director of external communications at GSK.
The new strategy also has the potential of lowering health costs by helping people manage the disease and keeping them out of the hospital or the ER. At the heart of the initiative is My Life with Asthma, which encourages residents to take a five-question asthma test to learn whether they or their children might have the disease and, if so, whether enough is being done to control it, says Michelle Bernth, a senior vice president at the ALA's Plains-Gulf region, which includes St. Louis.
While a public awareness campaign seems like a routine approach, Bernth says this one is different because it encourages people to become more proactive.
"The central message is to take the asthma control test. We encourage people (parents or children) to take it and take the results to their doctor to see if they need to change their asthma control plan. If they don't have a plan, we encourage them ... to have a conversation about the results for themselves or their child."
St. Louis has consistently ranked among the top ten cities with high levels of asthma. Memphis ranks first this year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Bernth says the high levels in St. Louis are due to numerous factors, including large amounts of particle pollution, hot weather, poverty, and, in some cases, limited access to medical care. While no hospitals are in the targeted zip codes, the residents do have access to care at community health centers.
Bernth concedes that an awareness campaign alone won't solve the problem, but she says asthma education is essential because many do not know the symptoms and have no idea what an asthma-control plan looks like.
"Sometimes people who have asthma have come to accept a quality of control which is not okay. We are trying to raise awareness that if your asthma is under control, you should be able to lead a much more normal life."
In addition to getting out the word through traditional media, such as advertising on television, radio and buses, Bernth expects social media to play a big role. Once the campaign is in full swing, she says events will be promoted through Facebook and Twitter. She expects campaign partners, such as community centers, youth clubs and church groups, to use social media to inform others.
"One big part of outreach is using staff to go out and promote the campaign on the ground. One of the things we hope will happen in the campaign, and what's normal with social media, is that all of our community partners will re-tweet the messages that we send out."
Nobody is certain that the campaign will make a difference. But Bernth is hoping that a combination of media messages and personal discussions through community events will help change the levels of asthma in the high risk zip codes.
"What is unique about this campaign is that we found a partner who is willing to fund a multi-prong approach, and so we are able to do more. That's exciting to us."
