Are you making any New Year's resolutions related to your asthma this year? Keeping your asthma New Year's resolutions is no easier than any of the other resolutions you might make and according to Professor Richard Wiseman, keeping your New Year's resolutions can be really difficult. In fact, only 12% of 700 people participating in his 2008 experiment achieved their New Year's resolutions.

Let us know about your New Year's resolutions and check out the following articles that will help you set and keep your asthma New Year's resolutions:

• 5 New Year's Resolutions For Your Asthma
• Strategies to Set and Keep Your Asthma New Year's Resolutions
• Tell Us About Your Asthma New Year's Resolutions

How was your asthma control over the holidays? I hope the recent worsening of winter weather has not worsened your asthma.

How much time does your child spend on the internet? Why not try and turn some of that time into an educational experience for your child's asthma?

The Quest for the Code® is an online asthma game produced by the Starlight Children's Foundation that incorporates an an engaging story while promoting asthma knowledge. Cuba Gooding Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Kelsey Grammer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Glenn Close, Shaquille O'Nea, and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, have all contributed to this engaging story to help kids learn how to manage their asthma.

Quest for the Code® teaches kids and teens about:

• Early warning signs and symptoms
• Identifying and avoiding asthma triggers
• Myths about asthma
• Proper use of asthma medication devices
• Long-term control medicine and quick-relief medicine
• Measuring and monitoring peak flow
• How to answer questions from peers about asthma

Study: Efficacy of Quest for the Code

According to a press release from the Starlight Foundation, a team of researchers from the University of Miami School of Medicine, led by Alan Delamater, PhD, conducted a study designed to investigate whether use of Quest for the Code could help families improve illness management, quality of life, asthma self-efficacy, and asthma knowledge.

The study targeted children ages 8 to 12 from ethnic minority background (African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanic/Latino) with moderate to severe asthma.

Results showed significant improvements in child-reported asthma self-efficacy and quality of life at one month, and
improvements in self-efficacy, responsibilities, and knowledge at three months. Parents reported improved asthma symptoms at one month, and increased child responsibilities, knowledge, medication-taking, and child avoidance of triggers at three months. The 6-month assessment showed sustained improvements in self-efficacy, adherence, knowledge, child responsibilities, and symptoms.

Consumer satisfaction ratings from both children and parents were very high.

The press release also quotes school nurse Charla Dunham who hosts an asthma group every other week for children
with asthma and uses Quest for the Code to teach her children about their illness, "Quest for the Code has helped keep two frequently hospitalized children from my school out of the hospital. One student missed a large portion of the school year last year, but since we have introduced him to the game, his medical care has improved, and he has not been hospitalized since."

Check out Quest for the Code® at the Starlight Foundation website and see if it might help your child.

Do you have a questions about asthma that you would like answered in a blog? Post a question here and see it answered in one of the weekly blogs.

How are we doing on the asthma site? Having been live as a guide for about 10 months now, I would like your feedback-- what you like, what you would like to see more of, and what we could be doing better!! Thanks for your input.