Educating mums and dads about good asthma control

Asthma is the most common chronic illness affecting school-aged children. It is estimated that one in every four children and one in every seven teenagers in Australia has asthma.

Parents, teachers, carers, doctors and other health professionals from throughout Australia now have the chance to hear about the latest asthma management information via a special national broadcast. This broadcast is designed to offer both parents and health care professionals the opportunity to learn about the clues to early recognition of asthma, and the latest options for treating the disease.

This live satellite program will be screened at The Children's Hospital at Westmead on Tuesday 19 June 2001. The program will be screened in two phases with parents and carers to attend at 7.00pm and health care professionals to attend at 8.00pm.

This program is presented by Asthma Australia and is being shown at 126 urban and rural locations. The program is highly interactive, with each session chaired by an independent asthma health professional, and attendees are able to telephone any questions and concerns through to an expert panel.

The program's panel comprises highly respected medical experts including Dr John Ruhno, Consultant Allergist and Immunologist at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

The importance of educating all Australians about asthma management is paramount, given that asthma is one of the most common reasons for hospital admission in children. Many children with asthma still experience regular asthma symptoms and avoid vigorous physical activity because of the condition. With appropriate management and education, children with asthma should be able to participate in physical activity like their peers, unrestricted by asthma symptoms.

Asthma costs the Australian community between $585-720 million each year. Although asthma mortality rates have substantially declined over the past decade, Australia still has the second highest asthma mortality rate in the world - 685 people died from asthma in 1998. Although there is no cure for asthma, the burden associated with asthma can be reduced with proper diagnosis, medical management and education.

This program is free but registration is essential - call Anne-Maree Davis, Asthma Educator at The Children's Hospital at Westmead on (02) 9845 2293 for further details.

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Debra Fowler
Public Relations Officer
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
via switchboard on
Ph: (02) 9845 0000