Children and Asthma 2002
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by KQED and Light Saraf-Evans Productions
Directed by Allie Light
VHS, color, 56 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Health Sciences, Environmental Studies
Date Entered: 02/06/2004
Reviewed by Kay Hogan Smith, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lister Hill Library of the Health SciencesThis video examines the "roots and remedies" for the alarming increase in the rate of asthma in children in this country over the past 20 years. Noting that acute asthma attacks have doubled in the years since 1980, the program mainly focuses on the "roots" of the problem through interviews with experts, children and parents in three different communities - the San Francisco area, the Bronx and an Iowa farm community. Through these various locations and interviews, the viewer sees the reality behind the clinical explanations of "sensitizers" and "risk factors" (such as exposure to cockroaches and pesticides) and the societal implications of asthma (especially its predisposition in inner city poor children of color). By contrast, the segment on remedies, which includes not only medications and environmental changes but also community activism, is not as thorough, yet it is a good overview nonetheless. This well-produced program could provide a good starting point for discussion among health professionals, students and community groups as well as asthma support groups.