4 insights to improve asthma management in college students and their implications. Asthma management is only 50% in the overall population, and the adolescent/young adult population is one of the worst asthma subpopulations for asthma management.

1. Catherine Lu
December 2012
cglu@stanford.edu
4 insights for
getting asthmatic
college students to
use a preventative
inhaler twice a day

2. What is asthma?
Typical Asthmatic
bronchiole bronchiole
300 million people affected
250,000 deaths/year
Source:
“Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention” (2011). Global Initiative for Asthma.

3. Asthma Medication
Preventative Relief
Daily As needed
“...the most important type of treatment for most
people with asthma...” -Mayo Clinic

4. The Problem
• Overall good asthma medication
management is estimated at only 50%
of asthmatics
• Young adults are one of the most
difficult subpopulations to treat
• Taking a preventative inhaler daily
is important to prevent asthma
Source: Adherence and Asthma Control with Mometasone Furoate versus Fluticasone Propionate in
Adolescents and Young Adults with Mild Asthma. Friedman et al. Journal of Asthma, 47:994–1000, 2010.
attacks.

5. What I Did
8 people
0 were using a
3 people preventative
inhaler daily

6. Insight 1
Asthmatic college
students do not use a
preventative inhaler
because they do not
feel like they need it

7. Insight 2
A little education about
the exact benefits of a
preventative inhaler
increases their motivation

8. What I Did
8 people
3 had an inhaler
3 people
with them

9. The idea: Place your inhaler next to
your toothbrush for a visual morning
and nighttime reminder.

10. Insight 3
Placing their inhaler next
to their toothbrush is an
effective reminder and
simple enough for them
to want to do

11. Insight 4
Using the same
approach digitally is
also effective for
administering education
and reminder system

12. Implications
•Educate asthmatic college students of
the benefits of using a daily inhaler
•Reminder system of placing their
inhaler next to their toothbrush
•Scalable model using email may be
possible

13. Thank you!
Contact me at cglu@stanford.edu