Asthma Awareness Month provides a time for us to work together to improve the lives of children and families living with asthma and with your help, to build better awareness around this important public health issue. Asthma affects over 25 million people in the U.S., including 7.1 million children. Almost 13 million people report having an asthma attack in the past year.

The New Orleans Children Health Project Bus helping kids get the medical attention they need for their asthma.

While EPA continues to strive for cleaner air and a healthier environment through regulatory actions such as the Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, there are simple things you can do to help share important information with your organization’s membership, colleagues, parents and caregivers. Please see below for ways to take action and promote asthma awareness including: 1) social media, 2) videos and blog posts, and 3) additional resources.

1. Social Media

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtag #Asthma or use the following posts and tweets.

Facebook:

• Breathe easier: May is Asthma Awareness Month! Take action to ensure your asthma is under control. Check out our resource that provides 10 steps to make your home asthma-friendly: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/publications.html
• Did you know that the average adult takes 15 to 20 breaths a minute? That’s more than 20,000 breaths a day! Keeping your lungs healthy is a critical part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Learn more about Asthma Awareness Month today! http://www.epa.gov/asthma/index.html
• It’s peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers. May is the perfect time to educate your family, friends, colleagues, patients, and others about these diseases. Our Communities in Action Asthma Initiative supports local programs working to help people in their communities bring asthma under control. Learn more about Asthma Awareness Month http://www.epa.gov/asthma/awareness.html

Twitter:

• Breathe easier: May is #AsthmaAwarenessMonth. Make your home asthma-friendly: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/publications.html #EPAasthma
• Adults take 15 to 20 breaths a minute. 20,000 a day! Does your home have good #IAQ? Reduce asthma triggers: http://go.usa.gov/TruA
• May is #AsthmaAwarenessMonth. Learn about community-based asthma programs in your area! http://go.usa.gov/Treh

2. Videos and Blog Posts

To help spread the word about asthma and environmental management of common asthma triggers, EPA has developed multimedia materials including these short videos that feature well-known athletes with asthma:

• Jerome Bettis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xegEGTsndcY
• Chris Draft: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KG1TCHHzalE
• Fish out of Water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ageuz-gF8a8&list=SPF48C8D600C8F2FC6

During the month of May, we will feature posts on It’s Our Environment blog that support asthma awareness. http://blog.epa.gov/blog/ Please share these stories with your membership and encourage discussion.

• “Tackling Asthma: On and Off the Field” by Chris Draft http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2013/05/tackling-asthma-on-and-off-the-field/
• “A Brief Insight into the World of Asthmatics” by James T. Young http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2013/05/a-brief-insight-into-the-world-of-asthmatics/
• “Asthma Disparities: Making an Impact in Chicago’s Public Housing” by Melissa Gutierrez Kapheim http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2013/05/asthma-disparities-2/
• “Addressing Asthma Disparities: Helping Children Breathe Easier” by Brenda Doroski http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2013/05/children-breathe-easier/
• “Asthma: Public Health Issue for Hispanics” by Fedora Cagnoli Braverman http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2013/05/need-bio-before-posting-asthma-public-health-issue-for-hispanics/

3. Additional Resources

Here are 3 quick tips that you can share:

• Asthma is controllable; to create a plan and prepare for event of asthma attack: (English)http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_action_plan.pdf (Spanish)http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_action_plan_sp.pdf
• Learn to take action to avoid asthma triggers: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/triggers.html
• Get active; even though you have asthma you can still participate in activities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KG1TCHHzalE

Please let your membership know of these other resources available.

• For the full EPA press release: http://go.usa.gov/T7fF
• View a full listing of publications and resources: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/publications.html
• Visit EPAs webpage: http://www.epa.gov/asthma and partner website: http://www.noattacks.org/
• Check out list of asthma awareness events happening: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/awareness.html
• Learn about the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities: http://www.epa.gov/childrenstaskforce/