Approximately 10 people die each day from asthma complications and in the Latino community, the numbers are greater. Up to 10% of children under the age of 18 have asthma and as the Latino community continues to grow there is a bigger need to bring culturally sensitive asthma educational programs that help families and Cigna is doing their part.
The Cigna Foundation has been working with Latino communities across the country to help patients and families better manage their asthma. “Unfortunately, children in this community have a higher chance of death from asthma than non-Latino whites and are 60% are more likely to be hospitalized for their asthma,” says Dr. Isaac Martinez, Cigna Medical Director in Arizona.
We are starting to see more studies being conducted on Latinos and Hispanics, but they still haven’t figured out why there are such high rates of asthma in this community. What we do know is that Hispanics with asthma tend to have problems managing their asthma. “This may represent disparities in access to health insurance, lack of care coordination with a central healthcare provider, or simply lack education about the disease in the Hispanic community,” explains Dr. Martinez.
Many times patients are told they have asthma, but the doctor explains that “not everything that wheezes is asthma.” Yes, wheezing is a symptom of asthma, but often it is not asthma, but a respiratory infection, which also causes wheezing. The key to getting a clearer diagnosis of asthma is to test the patient’s lungs not when they are sick, but when they are well, explains the doctor.
“On breathing exams called pulmonary function tests, the patient will breathe in and out in a timed fashion to measure their lung’s performance. Because the tests are dependent on a patient’s ability to follow directions, small children typically must wait until they are older to perform them, he explains. In the meantime, the child may be diagnosed with asthma based on history and symptoms, but later testing may reveal otherwise.
What Can You Do?
The goal of asthma treatment is to help a person live a normal life to the point where the disease doesn’t interfere with their everyday activities. This is why it’s so important to continue to visit your doctor if you are diagnosed with asthma, that way the doctor could see if the treatment they prescribed is working or not.
“Sit down with your healthcare professional and develop an “asthma action plan” which includes the list of medications that you are taking, how and when to use them, and when to schedule an appointment,” he says. It’s also important to keep a diary of symptoms, as well as a list of things that trigger your symptoms, such as weather, environmental factors, activities you’re doing, etc. That way the next time you visit your doctor, they can assess if the medication you were prescribed is working or not.
There are environmental triggers that can cause asthma symptoms to worsen. Things like dust, pollen, pet dander, and smoking can worsen symptoms for people that have asthma. “There are a wide variety of medications used in the treatment of asthma that come in forms that you breathe in, such as inhalers, pills or liquids that you swallow, or that are injected into your body by a healthcare professional. This is why we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to follow-up with your doctor about your treatment and to see what triggers your asthma symptoms.
Community Programs Work
Cigna is stepping in to help bring critical health navigator services to underserved communities throughout the country. For example, last November, the Cigna Foundation gave a grant to La Clinica Comunitaria Los Barrios Unidos in Dallas to support its Promotores de Salud program, which provides help to local low-income residents, mostly Latinos who suffer from asthma. The program supports two bilingual community health workers who help patients understand how to manage their children’s asthma. The program has been very successful and even helped decrease emergency room visits for children with asthma by 27%, which can cost up to $32 million in pediatric asthma hospitalizations.
For example, Yadira Solache is a mother of 1 and 2 year-old-girls with asthma and she’s an asthma program participant at La Clinica Comunitaria Los Barrios Unidos. Yadira doesn’t have asthma or family history of asthma, so before her daughters were diagnosed she didn’t know much about it. Environmental and seasonal changes trigger her daughters’ asthma and they were having trouble managing it. At Los Barrios, she learned how to manage and control their asthma and she always recommends the program to others because she considers it a valuable resource.
As the Latino population continues to grow, the need for these programs is crucial. “Tapping the talents of Latino doctors and health navigators can help the health system recognize and understand cultural differences, address bias, and adapt services to meet people’s unique social, cultural, and language needs,” says Dr. Martinez. Latino healthcare professionals help increase patient engagement, encourage the use of preventative care services like check-ups and health screenings, helping patients stay on top of their treatments and improve their overall health. “As the population becomes more diverse, it is important that patients, healthcare providers, employers, and health plans recognize the need for services like health navigators to improve health outcomes, lower cost, and improve patient satisfaction.”
To learn more about the Cigna Foundation visit Cigna.com.