Despite many school children suffering from food allergies and asthma, several schools fail to have proper emergency health management plans in place.
The study was conducted by researchers from Northwestern University.
"Given the amount of time kids spend in school, it's critical for school staff, clinicians and parents to make sure there's a health management plan in place for students with health conditions," Northwestern Medicine pediatrician Dr. Ruchi Gupta, lead author of the study, said in a press statement. "Not having a health management plan leaves students without a vital safety net during the school day. With kids now returning to school, this is the time to get it done."
For the study, researchers looked at the database of Chicago Public Schools, the third largest U.S. school district, to identify students with asthma and food allergies. They found that only one in four students with asthma and half of students with a food allergy had a school health management plan. Also, CPS students were ere less likely to have a plan in place if they were a racial/ethnic minority and if they were low income, measured by whether they qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch.
Researchers were also surprised to find that students also had more than one chronic condition. Of asthmatic students, 9.3 percent had a food allergy; of food allergic students, 40.1 percent had asthma. Students with both conditions were more likely to have a management plan on file.
"CPS and Northwestern have worked together to develop promotional tools to increase the identification and verification of students with chronic conditions based on the findings of our collaborative research," said Dr. Stephanie A. Whyte, study coauthor and chief health officer of CPS. "All students with chronic health conditions should have a plan that supports their health and safety while in school, because healthy students are better learners."
"This is definitely a national problem in schools around the country," Gupta said. "We think the situation in Chicago schools is representative of schools everywhere. It's critical for all students with any chronic condition to have a health management plan in place at school."
Chronic medical conditions affect up to 25 percent of children in the United States with asthma and food allergies being among the most common. Therefore, it is important for schools to have effective health management plans in place so that they can handle and control these medical conditions. Ideally, such plans should specify special requirements for children during school if medication is required and what to do in case of any emergencies.
The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics. The study was funded by Mylan Specialty, LP and Northwestern's Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities.
