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About Peak Performance USA
Peak Performance USA is a national asthma awareness/school health program sponsored by the American Association for Respiratory Care, with support from Monaghan Medical Corporation, Forest Laboratories, Inc., and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It is a free program designed to assist school nurses and personnel to help children live healthier lives by controlling their asthma, with aid from local respiratory care professionals.
Despite recent advances in medical knowledge about asthma, both the incidence and severity of asthma continue to be a national health problem. Nine million students have been diagnosed with asthma, and a recent study cited in The Journal of Pediatrics concludes that asthma is a leading cause for school absences. Asthma education, and school staff monitoring of these children, can improve their quality of life, improve school performance and prevent mortality.
Much of the day-to-day responsibility for managing asthma falls on the child and their parents. However, because of the time spent in school, school staff can become a partner in the management of the disease. Their active participation through Peak Performance USA, with the help of the respiratory care practitioner, in a partnership with the physician, child and parents can help the child participate fully in school activities.