National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)
What are the goals of the NAEPP?
The NAEPP was initiated in 1989 to address the growing national health problem of asthma, which remains a significant problem today. According to the latest data, nearly 25 million people in the United States, including over 6 million children, have asthma. NAEPP provides a venue for convening diverse stakeholders with an interest in improving asthma management in the context of current standards for care.
The goals of the NAEPP are to:
- raise awareness among patients, health professionals, and the public that asthma is a serious chronic condition;
- ensure the recognition of the signs and symptoms of asthma by patients, families, and the public and the appropriate diagnosis by health professionals;
- ensure effective control of asthma by encouraging a partnership among patients, physicians, and other health professionals through modern treatment and education programs; and
- enhance the quality of life for patients with asthma, reduce the burden of asthma, and decrease asthma-related deaths.
To accomplish these goals, the NAEPP oversees the development of the asthma guidelines, creates tools and materials to put guidelines into practice, coordinates federal asthma-related activities, and builds partnerships. The NAEPP Coordinating Committee, a federal asthma advisory committee, comprises representatives from federal agencies, comprises medical associations, voluntary health organizations, and community programs and seeks to educate patients, health professionals, and the public.
AT A GLANCE
- An NAEPP expert panel developed clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma.
- Selected topic areas in the NAEPP guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma were last updated in 2020.
- A program initiative targeted schools with materials to educate children, parents, and school personnel about asthma and asthma management at school.
- The NAEPP launched programs to engage stakeholders to bring asthma care in line with evidence-based recommendations.
What resources has the NAEPP developed?
The NAEPP first developed and widely disseminated the guidelines for diagnosing and managing asthma in 1991, followed by revisions in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2020. The most recent update to these guidelines, the 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines, provides guidance on six selected topic areas.
The NAEPP’s former National Asthma Control Initiative (NACI) engaged diverse stakeholders to bring asthma care in line with evidence-based recommendations. NAEPP and NACI resources for patients with asthma and their families as well as for health professionals are still available.
How is the NAEPP administered?
The NAEPPCC consists of representatives from the major scientific, professional, governmental, and voluntary organizations interested in asthma. The Committee’s primary mission is to advise the NHLBI on matters concerning asthma and to facilitate the exchange of information on asthma activities among the member agencies and voluntary health organizations.
The NHLBI administers and coordinates the NAEPPCC. These meetings are open to the public and include presentations and discussion on a variety of topics concerning asthma, including activities and projects of the Committee. View details about NAEPPCC meetings and materials..
What legislation governs NAEPP?
The NAEPPCC fulfills the charges of 424B of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 285b-7b, as amended:
- Identify all Federal programs that carry out asthma-related activities.
- Develop, in consultation with appropriate federal agencies and professional and voluntary health organizations, a Federal plan for responding to asthma.
The NAEPPCC also fulfills charges, similar to those above, set forth in the Children's Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310). In addition, the Children’s Health Act of 2000 tasks the NHLBI, through the NAEPP, with submitting recommendations to Congress on ways to strengthen and improve coordination of asthma-related activities of the federal government.