Introduction:

an appropriate knowledge about asthma by teachers in schools is essential for its control. Objective: to determine the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge of teachers about asthma and its management in the primary schools located in one health district.

Patients and methods:

quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study assessing an educational intervention aimed at improving the knowledge on asthma of teachers. A questionnaire was administered before, immediately after and 6 months after the educational intervention.

Results:

100 teachers (69.93%) employed in 5 schools participated in the study. The mean age was 44.2 ± 8 years (range, 28-59 years), 82% were women. We found a low level of asthma knowledge in the teaching staff. Many participants could identify the main symptoms of asthma (65%) and the main triggers (59%). Thirty percent did not know whether these students could participate in competitive sports, and 26% believed it was not possible to prevent exercise-induced asthma attacks. Seventy-nine percent knew that inhaled therapy was the best approach. Seven percent stated that antibiotics are a component of asthma treatment. Five percent believed salbutamol could damage the heart. After the educational intervention, we noticed a significant increase on asthma knowledge (p <0.001). The level of knowledge was maintained 6 months after the intervention.

Conclusions:

educational interventions aimed at teachers significantly increase the level of asthma knowledge. This improvement is maintained for at least 6 months. Educational activities and organizational measures on asthma are necessary in the school setting.

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