This is a first for New Zealand and has been developed over the past twelve months. The toolkit is designed for teachers to have all the important information about asthma in one place. The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ has been working alongside ‘Cognition Education Group’ in order to launch this new online tool. The ‘Teachers’ Asthma Toolkit’ is accessed via an interactive website www.learnaboutlungs.org.nz. 

It’s a quick and easy way for teachers to learn all the necessary information about asthma. It includes video clips, animations, classroom resources and child friendly activities. We know it’s important as statistics show that there will be at least four children in a class of 30 students with asthma. 

Using this home assessment can help make homes healthier. A trained home visitor can help find common asthma triggers in homes and discuss ways to reduce and remove triggers. Removing asthma triggers in the home, along with the proper medical care can improve health. The checklist is organized into a Core Assessment plus two appendices (Dust Mite Module and Mold and Moisture Module). The Core Assessment can be used for all types of housing and climates, but the additional modules can be used if dust mites or mold/moisture issues are suspected by the trained home visitor. The suggested action items in the checklist are generally simple and low cost.