Learning Objective #1: Describe the benefits of using digital story for health education with children based on this study

Learning Objective #2: Briefly describe the protocol for testing and developing multimedia

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Purpose: To date, asthma education programs have focused on asthma triggers, behaviors to manage asthma, and asthma medications; however, they have not addressed the emotional component of children's experience with asthma. This is important because the way children feel about their asthma, or their attitude, affects what they learn and how they apply it. The research reported here tested the effectiveness of an educational program for school-aged children with asthma that included psychosocial management strategies. Okay with Asthma, a digital story and story writing program, was developed for children with asthma between the ages of 8-11 years.

Method: This research tested the effects of the independent variable, Okay with Asthma on the dependent variables, children's attitude toward having asthma and their knowledge of asthma. Using a one-group pretest-posttest non-experimental design, 35 children with moderate to severe asthma, completed a pretest to measure knowledge and attitude, then completed Okay with Asthma™. At 1-week and 2-week post intervention, participants completed the knowledge and attitude measures again.

Findings: Children had significant improvements in knowledge scores at 1-week and 2-week evaluation and significant improvements in attitude scores 2 weeks after completing the program. Children with severe asthma showed the greatest improvement in knowledge and attitude scores. The participant's learning style had no effect on the child's knowledge and attitude scores.

Discussion: Based on this study, Okay with Asthma is suited for children with varying learning styles. It is recommended that providers incorporate Okay with Asthma in their asthma education program and refer patients to the program at http://okay-with-asthma.org.

Acknowledgements: This project was supported by grant number 5 F31 NRO7692 from the National Institute of Nursing Research.