Abstract

Context: 

Asthma Home Visiting (HV) programs offer community-based education and environmental interventions to improve asthma control and reduce health care use.

Objective: 

To evaluate the health, quality of life (QoL), and cost outcomes of a multi-site asthma HV program implemented across Illinois from 2020 to 2023.

Design: 

Cross-sectional program evaluation using pre- and post- intervention comparisons of health outcomes and health care utilization data.

Setting: 

Four Illinois-based HV programs supported by the Illinois Department of Public Health and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Participants: 

A total of 209 participants (58.4% children) with physician-diagnosed asthma who received HV services between 2020 and 2023.

Main Outcome Measure(s): 

Changes in emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, QoL indicators (Asthma Control Rating, ACT scores, and missed school/workdays), and program cost–benefit ratio.

Results: 

ED visits declined from 17.8% to 6% (P < .05), and hospitalizations from 7.6% to 0% (P < .05). QoL indicators improved significantly, with ACT well-controlled scores increasing from 24.8% to 45.4%. Estimated annual savings totaled $1.4 million, exceeding program costs of $1.04 million (benefit–cost ratio = 1.34).

Conclusions: 

The Illinois asthma HV program improved health outcomes and reduced health care utilization, supporting its inclusion in comprehensive asthma care strategies.

https://journals.lww.com/jphmp/fulltext/9900/evaluation_of_an_asthma_home_visiting_program_in.655.aspx