News & media
Kick Asthma holiday helps children with asthma in Northern Ireland
14 February 2006
Asthma is the most common long-term condition among children in Northern Ireland: one in ten children, or over 35,000, have been diagnosed with asthma. An average of three people per month die from asthma in Northern Ireland. Yet the results of a survey of children with asthma recently carried out by Asthma UK and Blue Peter showed that:
Half of the children from Northern Ireland who filled in the survey did not have well-controlled asthma
One in six children from Northern Ireland who filled in the survey say that their asthma ‘often’ causes them frustration
About a third of the children surveyed in Northern Ireland said they did not know or were unsure what triggers their asthma
This highlights more than ever the need to encourage children to learn more about their condition and to take control of it. Kick Asthma holidays – residential adventure breaks for children and young people with asthma and related conditions - are a key part of the work that Asthma UK does in this area.
Kick Asthma holidays are important because they help participants to build confidence: while learning how to take control of their asthma through informal advice sessions run by healthcare professionals, participants also meet other children and young people with asthma and related conditions, and have fun taking part in lots of physical and social activities.
We know that the beneficial effects of Asthma UK’s holidays last, and that they help children and young people to manage their asthma better. Three months after the 2004 holidays, parents reported:
A 9% reduction in the number of visits to their child’s GP for their asthma
A 15% reduction in visits to hospital for their child’s asthma
A 10% reduction in the number of days their child missed at school
An 11% increase in the number of nights that their child’s sleep was undisturbed by their asthma
Children are closely supervised by specially trained volunteers and health professionals, so they can participate safely in a variety of activities that they may previously have had to miss out on. These activities are split into two age ranges: 6-11 and 12-17, and include swimming, ten-pin bowling, craft sessions and treasure hunts for the younger age group, and raft-building, archery, T-shirt design and video nights for the older group. Both groups take part in asthma quizzes and role play games.
Connor Kennedy, aged 8, from County Antrim had this to say about the Asthma UK holiday he attended: ‘I think the holidays are great - you get to meet friends and also get better at the same time.’ Kick Asthma holidays can also provide a break for parents too – for some parents of children with asthma, this may be the first time that they have felt confident enough to leave their child with someone else.
Iain Foster, National Manager of Asthma UK Northern Ireland comments: ‘The holidays help the children to become more confident in managing their asthma as well as more outgoing generally. Some children may have been teased at school because of their condition and may not previously have met other children with asthma. After a few days they realise that everyone is in the same position so it’s easy for them to make friends, become more confident, and even to take part in activities that they may previously have felt excluded from because of their asthma.’
Kick Asthma holidays usually last a week and, as they are run by Asthma UK, the cost is subsidised. In order not to exclude anyone from taking part in a Kick Asthma holiday, parents are asked to pay as much as they can afford. The price ranges from £20 to £350 depending on ability to pay.
For more information, please contact holidays@asthma.org.uk, telephone 020 7786 5000, or visit asthma.org.uk
The Kick Asthma holiday in Northern Ireland will be held at the Corrymeela Centre in Ballycastle from 15-21 July 2006.
Notes to editors
2. Kick Asthma holidays were formerly known as PEAK holidays. The new name has been introduced as part of Asthma UK’s development of new and improved services for children and young people with asthma. Other Kick Asthma initiatives include the brand new Kick-A website based around the fictional Kick-A City and its residents the Kick-A Crew who show what it’s like to live with asthma day-to-day. For more information visit kickasthma.org.uk
3. The Blue Peter/Asthma UK Survey 2005 was completed by 379 children in Northern Ireland; 230 with asthma and 149 who do not have asthma but know someone with asthma. In the UK as a whole, the survey was completed by 17,340 children; 9,125 with asthma and 6,260 who do not have asthma but know someone with asthma. It was carried out in September 2005.
4. Results of the questionnaire from the 2004 holidays were compiled through analysis of evaluation questionnaires sent out to participants and their parents before the holiday, at the end of the holiday and three months after the holiday finished.
5. Parents of previous holiday participants are available for interview on request. Please contact the Asthma UK media office on 020 7786 4949.
6. Photos of previous holidays are also available from the Asthma UK media office on 020 7786 4949.
7. For further information on Kick Asthma holidays visit the Asthma UK website asthma.org.uk
8. To arrange a journalist visit to a Kick Asthma holiday this summer contact the Asthma UK media office on 020 7786 4949
9. For independent and confidential advice on asthma, call the Asthma UK Adviceline on 08457 01 02 03, or email an asthma nurse specialist at asthma.org.uk/adviceline
