Department of Public Health (DPH) Resources
- Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health (BCEH)
The Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) portal operated by the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health at DPH. The portal is a public-facing tool that provides data on the tracked prevalence of asthma among children in grades K-8 (age 5-14) from public, private, and charter schools in Massachusetts. This data can be used to support surveillance activities, communities in better understanding their asthma burden, and provides important community level data to help inform asthma interventions across DPH.
BCEH provides information about asthma and the environment and helps to educate the public about the variety of environmental exposures that can trigger asthma attacks. Some chemicals and pollutants in your environment can make your asthma worse. Your environment is where you live, learn, work, play or visit. - Asthma in Schools: Data to Action
According to the American Thoracic Society, 15% of asthma in adults is caused or exacerbated by work. It is estimated that approximately 27,000 adults in Massachusetts have work-related asthma. Since 1993 physicians have been required to report both suspected and confirmed cases of work-related asthma to the DPH. - Work-related Asthma Surveillance and Prevention Project
Occupational Health Surveillance Program
According to our data, an estimated 200,000 adults in Massachusetts have work-related asthma. Health care providers should ask all adult patients with new or worsening asthma about work and report suspected cases of work-related asthma to DPH. We use data to characterize work-related asthma in the state and to target intervention efforts. CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) funds this project.
Asthma and Your Environment - Air Pollution and Pediatric Asthma in the Merrimack Valley Study
Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health
In 1998, in response to community concerns related to air pollution and breast cancer, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) investigated of breast cancer incidence relative to community concerns over the possible relationship between elevated rates of asthma and opportunities for exposure to incinerator emissions in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. - School Health Services
School Health Services is comprised of professional staff who collaborate with other Department of Public Health programs and the Massachusetts Department of Education to provide ongoing school health service systems development and technical assistance to the Commonwealth's 351 public school districts and approximately 600 nonpublic schools. This represents approximately 880,000 public school students and 120,000 nonpublic school students. - Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation & Prevention Program (MTCP)
MTCP is a statewide public health program focused on comprehensive approaches to reduce tobacco and nicotine use. Our mission is to reduce the health and economic burden of tobacco use by preventing young people from starting to use tobacco and nicotine products, helping current tobacco and nicotine users to quit, protecting children and adults from secondhand smoke, and identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities.
Other Massachusetts resources
These Massachusetts-based organizations have information and guidance on asthma:
National resources
These national organizations have information and guidance on asthma:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Asthma
The CDC’s National Asthma Control Program was established in 1999 to help millions of people in the country control their asthma. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Want to Fight Childhood Asthma
EPA's coordinated approach on asthma promotes scientific understanding of environmental asthma triggers and ways to manage asthma in community settings through research, education and outreach. With federal, state and local partners, they are building the nation's capacity to control asthma and manage exposure to indoor and outdoor pollutants linked to asthma. - Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Healthy Homes Program
HUD believes communities should make homes available to families that are affordable and healthy. "Healthy Homes" is a century-old concept that promotes safe, decent, and sanitary housing as a means for preventing disease and injury. There is a lot of emerging scientific evidence linking health outcomes such as asthma, lead poisoning, and unintentional injuries to substandard housing. And, there are more than 6 million substandard housing units nationwide. - Allergy and Asthma Network (AAN)
AAN is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with asthma, allergies and related conditions. They are devoted to putting patients first – transforming how these conditions are perceived and treated through a patient-centered approach, ensuring inclusion in all aspects of our work from research to community support resources. - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)
AAFA is dedicated to helping those with asthma, allergies, and atopic diseases. They offer many educational programs and tools for all ages, caregivers, and health care providers. - American Lung Association (ALA), Asthma Resource Library
ALA supports asthma in researching treatments and cures for lung diseases, keeping kids off tobacco, including e-cigarettes, and advocating for laws that protect the air we all breathe. To support the quality of life for those living with asthma, they maintain an interactive resource library that includes videos, toolkits, worksheets, infographics, and other resources for asthma patients and caregivers. - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Just 4 Kids
The AAAAI has games, puzzles, videos, and more to help you learn about managing your allergies and asthma. - Asthma Management Guidelines: Focused Updates 2020
Since the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3) was released in 2007, scientists have made substantial progress in understanding asthma diagnosis, management, and treatment. Based on systematic reviews conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality with input from the National Asthma Education Prevention Program (NAEPP) participant organizations, medical experts, and the public, the NHLBI supported the development of the 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines: A Report from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines: A Report from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group. The guidance is designed to support informed, shared decision making among primary care providers, specialists, and patients about asthma management.