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Spanish Asthma Education Video Debuts in El Paso

Release Date: 5/3/2004
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      Today, in recognition of Asthma Awareness Month in May and World Asthma Day on May 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new Spanish language video, Controlando los Factores del Asma, to help families learn to effectively manage asthma.  

      "In EPA, we have two missions in regards to the fight against asthma.  First, we try to control the factors that could cause asthma attacks.  Secondly, and maybe more importantly, we work with children, families, schools, day care centers, and medical professionals to give them the necessary information to manage the factors that can cause asthma attacks," said Jeff Holmstead, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.

      About 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that killed almost 5,000 people in 2000. Asthma rates have skyrocketed since 1980 and children have been particularly hard hit by the asthma epidemic.  

      Nearly one in 13 school-aged children has asthma and the rate is rising more rapidly in preschool-aged children than in any other age group.  The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that 9 million children in America have been diagnosed with asthma and 4 million children had asthma attacks within the last year.  

      Hispanics living with asthma report more asthma attacks and visits to emergency departments for asthma than non-Hispanic Caucasians.  EPA's video teaches Spanish-speaking families how to reduce the effects of environmental triggers such as second-hand smoke, cockroaches, dust mites, molds, pets, high ozone levels, pollen and particle pollution.  The video can also be a tool for schools, day care centers, medical professionals and health insurers to promote comprehensive asthma care.

      More information about asthma control and education is available at EPA's Web site, www.epa.gov/asthma.