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Asthma Education Campaign Works To Eliminate Factors That Trigger Asthma

Asthma Education Campaign Works To Eliminate Factors That Trigger Asthma

Published 03-22-07

Submitted by SC Johnson

Los Angeles, March 22, 2007 "“ One in seven Los Angeles County school children are likely to suffer from asthma1. In response, SC Johnson brings for the first time to California, Healthy Children, Healthy Homes® (HCHH), a community-based program designed to educate parents about the dangers of asthma.

Today, Monte Vista Elementary School in Los Angeles hosts asthma experts and young soccer star and asthma sufferer Rodrigo Lopez from Chivas USA during the Healthy Children, Healthy Homes® asthma education event. Organizers are providing more than 500 school children, their teachers and parents with the tools they need to help combat indoor asthma triggers.

Latino children with asthma experience nearly twice as much activity limitation compared to white children with asthma2 (45 percent and 23 percent respectively). "Asthma education is critical," states Kelly Semrau, Vice President, Global Public Affairs and Communication for SC Johnson. "The goal of this campaign is to teach families about ways to avoid the triggers in the home that can aggravate asthma attacks. We are thrilled to add Los Angeles to our list of participating cities. To date, the program has reached families in Miami, Kansas City and Chicago."

Hispanic health and pediatrics organizations have cited asthma as an urgent priority for Hispanic child health. Combine this with the fact that outdoor air quality in top urban cities like Los Angeles is among the worst in the nation, and controlling indoor triggers becomes of utmost importance.

Led by SC Johnson's Raid® brand, Healthy Children, Healthy Homes® is a program designed to increase community awareness of asthma and asthma triggers in the home. The campaign focuses on educating children, training parents and teachers to be ambassadors (the "Asthma Amigos"), and disseminating information to their communities, including schools, churches and other neighborhood gathering places. The program was designed and tested in collaboration with public health researchers and nurses at Abt Associates, Inc. and Florida International University School of Nursing.

"Helping families understand how to reduce asthma triggers in the home can improve a child’s breathing and, therefore, his or her quality of life." said Maria Matza, a registered nursed and asthma expert. "The steps to maintaining a healthy home are simple and can make a tremendous impact on the health of a child."

The curriculum covers asthma triggers including the personal and environmental factors that contribute to the onset of an asthma attack. Among the most common triggers are pollution, pollen, hot and humid weather, pet hair, cockroach droppings, tobacco smoke, dust, mold and mildew. Colds, flu, and allergies, or engaging in certain kinds of exercise or strong emotions may also trigger an asthmatic episode.

HCHH Tips for Reducing Indoor Triggers

Because there are many indoor sources of asthma triggers, and exposures can be frequent, prolonged and intense, parents can control and prevent the onset of asthma or the likelihood of an attack by taking some very simple steps at home. HCHH recommends five easy steps to help cut down on indoor triggers of asthma:

  • Eliminate the number one indoor trigger of asthma. Cockroaches are one of the greatest indoor triggers of asthma, especially in urban areas like Los Angeles. Significantly reduce exposure to cockroaches and their dried droppings by using roach baits and other roach killing products, like those from Raid®.

  • Keep pests out of the home. Leftover food can attract pests - store food in Ziploc® bags and containers, and be sure to put garbage in containers with lids to help keep cockroaches and other insects out of the house.

  • Wash away dust and mold. Remove dust and dust mites by regularly cleaning countertops and other surfaces with a product such as Pledge®, and be sure to clean and wash curtains, bedding, and other household fabrics regularly.

  • Keep away from germs and allergens. Limiting your child's exposure to others with cold or flu-like symptoms and away from anything that they have shown an allergic reaction to in the past, such as cats, dogs, birds or foods. Use cleaners like Scrubbing Bubbles® to help cut down on germs.

  • Enjoy the open air. Tobacco smoke should be kept outdoors and away from your children; smoke outside and confirm that no one smokes indoors at a day care center or school where your child is enrolled.
SC Johnson is a family-owned and -managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, personal care and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as EDGE®, GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, ECHO®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 121-year old company, with $7 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in more than 110 countries.

For more information, please visit www.scjohnson.com

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1-2. "2005 Asthma Study" Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Editor's Note: Asthma experts and campaign spokespeople are available for media interviews upon request. For more information, please contact Tania Llavaneras at 323-972-6620 or via email at Tania.llavaneras@edelman.com

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SC Johnson

SC Johnson

SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and insect control.

 

It markets well-known brands such as GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 125-year-old company, with more than $8 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

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