Community Health Workers Offer Potential for Improving Pediatric Asthma Outcomes

Community health workers uncovered a large burden of unmet social needs among families of children hospitalized with asthma, according to results from a pilot study published online ahead of print in Hospital Pediatrics.

“Social determinants of health contribute to racial disparities in asthma outcomes,” wrote researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “Community health worker programs represent a promising way to screen for social determinants of health and connect patients to resources, but the impact of community health worker programs in the inpatient pediatric setting has been examined in few studies.”

To help fill the gap, researchers conducted a pilot study of a community health worker intervention for families of children hospitalized with asthma living in a predominantly Hispanic community.

Caregivers for 80 children, 81.3% of whom were Hispanic, were enrolled in the community health worker program and underwent screening for social determinants of health. According to the study, half of caregivers reported experiencing food or housing insecurity during the past year. Nearly two-thirds reported inadequate housing.

Community health workers coordinated social resources for 79 of the 80 families, researchers reported. Among them, 42.5% were linked with food resources, 82.5% with housing resources, and 41.3% with appointment navigation.

“Community health worker programs have potential to improve asthma outcomes by linking high-risk patients with social resources,” the study concluded.

Reference:
Schechter SB, Lakhaney D, Peretz PJ, Matiz LA. Community health worker intervention to address social determinants of health for children hospitalized with asthma. Hospital Pediatrics. 2021 Nov 1;hpeds.2021-005903. doi:10.1542/hpeds.2021-005903