Health Awareness
Health Impairment Awareness Activity (Asthma):
Background information:
Asthma is a health condition. It is not contagious. People who have Asthma sometimes have trouble breathing because things like dust, cleaning sprays, mold, and other stuff bothers them a lot. The size of the airways in their lungs get smaller, and this is called an Asthma attack. This activity gives you an idea of what it might feel like to have an Asthma attack. (DO NOT do this activity with people who have Asthma because it might make them have an Asthma attack.)
Try this:
See how breathing changes when you take in different amounts of air through a straw and a coffee stirrer.
What you will need:
One regular drinking straw per person.
One coffee stirrer per person.
A timer (use a watch or a cell phone)
Directions:
- Have everyone run in place for 30 seconds.
- Give one regular straw to each person and have everyone put the straw in their mouth and breathe through the straw while running in place for another 30 seconds.
- Give one coffee stirrer to each person and have everyone put the coffee stirrer in their mouth and breathe through the coffee stirrer while running in place for another 30 seconds.
Talk about it:
- How did it feel after running for 30 seconds with the straw in your mouth compared to running for 30 seconds breathing normally?
- How did it feel after running for 30 seconds with the coffee stirrer in your mouth compared to running for 30 seconds breathing normally? Compared to running for 30 seconds with the straw in your mouth?
- What are some things you can do to help prevent other people from having Asthma attacks? (hint: How can you help reduce stuff in the environment that bothers people who have Asthma?)
- What should you do if you know a person has Asthma and you see that they are having trouble breathing or having an Asthma attack? (click on Asthma Attack Without an Inhaler: 5 Things to Do Now)
