Breathe Well, Live Well®

In 2003, the American Lung Association, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center Environmental Health, adopted a validated asthma management education program for adults. The validated program was originally developed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Lung Health Center. Results from the clinic-based intervention showed that a comprehensive effort to improve self-management practices of adults with asthma can substantially improve adherence to treatments. Two significant measures that showed improvements were decrease in severity of asthma symptoms and a decrease in the frequency of respiratory problems.

In 2004, the Lung Association adapted the program for use in a community-based setting and named it Breathe Well, Live Well: An Asthma Management Program for Adults. The program was designed for small group education and pilot tested in six areas: Tucson, Arizona; the District of Columbia; Jacksonville, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; San Diego and San Francisco, California. During the pilot, we assessed the process and feasibility of conducting the program in a community-based setting. Results from the pilot showed that the program was effective in increasing knowledge, confidence in managing asthma, and increased the frequency of asthma self-management practices. In addition, the program was well-received among participants and facilitators. Breathe Well, Live Well launched nationwide in January of 2007.

Breathe Well, Live Well was redesigned in June 2013 resulting in a self-paced guide, Breathe Well Live Well: The Guide to Managing Your Asthma at Home and Work.  The guide is the only comprehensive asthma education targeting adults and is designed to help them gain the skills and tools they need to take control of their asthma.

In 2017, the American Lung Association developed the Breathe Well, Live Well® Facilitator Training in order to prepare health professionals to teach adults asthma self-management skills. There are four key learning outcomes. You will:

• understand the impact of poor asthma control among adults,
• be able to describe the treatment and prevention of asthma symptoms in adults,
• learn how to explain the concepts of asthma self-management, and
• be able to describe the evidence and evaluation of the Breathe Well, Live Well program.

• Breathe Well, Live Well received a Silver Award for Patient Education from the National Health Information Awards in 2007.
• Breathe Well Live Well: The Guide to Managing Your Asthma at Home and Work won Best of Show at the National Health Information Awards competition in 2014.
• Breathe Well Live Well: The Guide to Managing Your Asthma at Home and Work won Gold Award at the National Health Information Awards competition in 2014.

Breathe Well, Live Well is nationally tested and proven to help reduce the severity of asthma symptoms and respiratory problems. The program is flexible in delivery format options to meet the educational and learning needs of participants. Studies show that after completing the program, participants:

• experience less severe asthma symptoms,
• have fewer respiratory problems and,
• are better able to stick to their asthma treatment plan

Published in Health Promotion Practice (2020)
Breathe Well, Live Well: Implementing an Adult Asthma Self-Management Education Program