Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1509606
The United States National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) have collaborated to develop and launch a free multimedia collection called EMPOWER. A poster at the 2023 AAAAI Annual Meeting described results of a study about food allergy awareness on college campuses in the United States BACK PAGES Inhalation OctOber 2023 39 Non-profits create program to empower young people who have asthma e United States National Environmental Education Foun- dation (NEEF) and Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) have col- laborated to develop and launch a free multimedia collection called EMPOWER. Consisting of eight original songs, animated videos and printable educa- tional materials, EMPOWER "aims to inspire young people with asthma to take charge of their health with evidence-based, self-management skills." A news release explained that "medical providers, community health workers, educators and oth- ers who work with young people can use the EMPOWER resources to increase awareness about the importance of asthma manage- ment and to spread an inspiring message of resilience and empow- erment when living with asthma." The EMPOWER program EMPOWER is an acronym of the key components the organizations and their asthma specialists con- sider critical to living with and managing asthma: Environment: Understanding its role in asthma triggers Medication: e importance of reg- ular and correct usage Plan: Crafting a strategy to manage and mitigate symptoms Open communication: Building bridges with healthcare professionals and loved ones Well-being: Prioritizing holistic health, both mental and physical Extinguish: e need to eliminate cigarettes and e-cigarettes Resilience: Cultivating the strength to face challenges head-on Each 60-second track and ani- mated music video focuses on one of these elements. e first video, EMPOWER Roll Call, and a down- loadable poster for educational and healthcare settings are available now. e remaining seven tracks and videos will be released later in 2023. e EMPOWER con- tent is accessible for free through Hip Hop Public Health's Learning Studio at https://www.hhph.org/ work/learning-studio/empower. Providing education and support HHPH is a non-profit organiza- tion founded by neurologist Dr. Olajide Williams, MD, MS, Vice Dean of Community Health at Columbia University Vagelos Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) and hip hop artist Doug E. Fresh. "As young people move into their teen and young adult years, with greater independence and responsibility, taking owner- ship of their asthma management is essential for their health and wellbeing," said Lori Rose Benson, Hip Hop Public Health executive director and CEO. NEEF was chartered by the US Congress in 1990 as a non-profit organization to complement the work of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NEEF's work focuses on kindergarten to grade 12 education, conservation The EMPOWER content, including this poster, can be downloaded for free by clicking here.