October 12, 2005 -- Home-Based Interventions Found Cost-Effective in Childhood Asthma

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported today that home-based environmental interventions are a cost-effective way to improve the health of inner-city children who have moderate to severe asthma. In a study, a home-based program targeted six major classes of allergens that trigger asthma symptoms—dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, rodents, passive smoking, and mold. Those enrolled in the program received educational home visits that included specific measures for reducing or eliminating allergen levels, including allergen-impermeable covers on the child’s mattress, box spring, and pillows; air purifiers with high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA); vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters; and professional pest control. Children who received the interventions had 19 percent fewer unscheduled clinic visits and a 13 percent reduction in the use of albuterol inhalers, and experienced 38 more symptom-free days over the two-year course of the study than those in a control group. Calculating the savings from symptom-free days alone, estimated at $27.57 per day, the interventions were cost-effective, the study’s sponsor said. Most of the children in the study were African-American or Hispanic, living in low-income areas of seven urban areas—the Bronx, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Manhattan, Seattle/Tacoma, and Tucson. Each child had to be allergic to at least one common indoor allergen. The study is described in the current issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.