Coaches and PE Teachers
Don’t let asthma come between a child and being active
Children with asthma should run, jump and play just as much as kids without asthma!
What you need to know about Asthma
Asthma Symptoms and Triggers
Exercising with Asthma
Asthma Emergencies
Key asthma facts for PE teachers and coaches
Asthma can be managed. With proper medication and preparation, everyone can participate
Ask your school nurse…
- About student’s inhaler and their care plan document at school
- About asthma and each child’s triggers and treatments. Both indoor and outdoor movement or exercise are a common trigger of asthma.
- How your school policies and care plans support students with asthma
Pre-treating before activities
- Younger kids typically will need to visit the health office to use their inhaler before being active.
- Other students may self-carry their medication with the school nurse’s involvement.
TIP
Kids with asthma need longer warm – ups and cool- downs to avoid an asthma flare.
Kids don’t outgrow asthma.
It is a chronic condition.
- Asthma usually develops during childhood.
- Airways in the lungs become inflamed and constrict, making breathing difficult.
- No two children with asthma experience it exactly the same way.
Take note when:
- A student refuses to participate, and puts themselves on the sidelines
- You notice wheezing and/or coughing
- A child with asthma has difficulty breathing– it can be an asthma attack, also called an asthma flare.
TIP
It is important to let your school nurse know if you notice a child has symptoms. School nurses can work with families and doctors to control those symptoms.
Different kids,
different asthma triggers
Kids aren’t the same, and neither are their asthma triggers.
Triggers could include:
- Exercise – but pre-treatment can help minimize or prevent symptoms
- Smoke from fires, cigarettes, vapes and other sources
- Air pollution
- Allergies
- Viruses like the common cold
- Extreme weather like heat, cold, humidity, wind, and thunderstorms
When the lungs react to a trigger, the airways swell causing asthma symptoms like:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
Famous People Who Have Asthma
- Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps
- Singer PINK
- Sprinter Noah Lyles
- Actress and entrepreneur Jessical Alba
- Swimmer Amy VanDyken
- Singer Adele
- Football Player Von Miller
Keep kids off the sidelines
Help kids exercise safely with asthma
Outdoor Activities
- Students should cover nose and mouth when exercising in cold temperatures if cold air is a trigger for them.
- Limit strenuous activities outdoors when the air quality is unhealthy (orange red or maroon)
- On hot days, try to schedule outdoor physical activities early in the day when ozone levels are lower
Every Time
- Have their quick relief inhaler nearby
- Make sure kids have pre-treated if needed (they might take two puffs 15 minutes before exercise)
- Begin every exercise with a warm-up, and include a cool down period after exercise
Symptoms during exercise might be different day-to-day
“I thought Nathan’s asthma was under control, but one hot day last August, he had a lot of symptoms.
We realized that we had some air pollution in the area that day. Next time we’ll factor the air quality forecast into our plans for practice.”
“Shelly loves cross country, and her asthma hasn’t given her a lot of problems.
Lately we’ve noticed that cold air can also be a trigger for her so she’ll need to pre-treat more than usual, and that’s enabled her to show up for meets.“
“Our team has learned that a good warm-up before practice and a paced warm-down after really helps the two kids on the team who have asthma, and everyone else benefits as well.”
Asthma Emergencies
If you see RED ZONE symptoms, Call 911 and act quickly
Follow the child’s Asthma Care Plan which will likely look similar to this:
Zones
If you see this:
Do this:
GREEN ZONE:
No Symptoms – Pretreat
- No current symptoms
- Strenuous activity planned
Pretreatment for strenuous activity if indicated on care plan.
If child is currently experiencing symptoms, follow YELLOW or RED ZONE.
YELLOW ZONE:
Mild symptoms
- Trouble breathing
- Wheezing
- Frequent cough
- Chest tightness
- Not able to do activities
Give QUICK RELIEF MEDICINE as prescribed:
- Child/youth may go back to normal activities, once symptoms are relieved.
If symptoms do not improve or worsen, follow RED ZONE.
- Notify parents/guardians and school nurse.
RED ZONE:
EMERGENCY –
Severe Symptoms
- Coughs constantly
- Struggles to breathe
- Trouble talking (only speaks 3–5 words)
- Skin of chest and/or neck pull in with breathing
- Lips/fingernails gray/blue
Give QUICK RELIEF MEDICINE as prescribed:
- Refer to the anaphylaxis care plan if the student has a life – threatening allergy. If there is no anaphylaxis care plan follow emergency guidelines for anaphylaxis.
Call 911 and inform EMS the reason for the call.
REPEAT QUICK RELIEF MED if not improving:
- Can repeat every 5–15 minutes until EMS arrives.
- Stay with child/youth. Remain calm, encouraging slower, deeper breaths.
- Notify parents/guardians and school nurse.
Trips
For a school day trip, notify a school nurse at least two weeks before the trip.
Your school nurse will need to make preparations and ensure school policies are followed:
- Train school staff attending the field trip
- Gather and distribute forms and medications
For an overnight trip, nurses should be notified at least a month in advance so they can coordinate medications that are given at home.
