Asthma in ChildrenNCT05013788
Using Social Media to Decrease Healthcare Utilization for Pediatric Asthma
A study testing Social Media Enhanced Education and Usual Asthma Education in people with Asthma in Children, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate if social media enhanced education (SME) will reduce total number of treatment days defined as summation of days of subsequent hospital admission, emergency room visits, and clinic visits, reduce missed school days, reduce total costs from a health system perspective, have… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 3 to 17 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Asthma in Children
- What is being tested?
- Social Media Enhanced Education and Usual Asthma Education
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2021to 15 Sep 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 3 to 17 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- hospitalized to Children's Memorial Hermann admitted for asthma exacerbation
- patient and/or primary caregiver must have internet access on cellular phones or at home and use a social media account (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat)
Who cannot join
- other chronic conditions besides asthma that may necessitate frequent health care utilization. i.e. children with complex chronic conditions, sickle cell, seizures, diabetes.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas, 77030
About this study
Official title: Using Social Media to Decrease Healthcare Utilization for Pediatric Asthma: a Pilot Randomized Control Trial
The purpose of this study is to evaluate if social media enhanced education (SME) will reduce total number of treatment days defined as summation of days of subsequent hospital admission, emergency room visits, and clinic visits, reduce missed school days, reduce total costs from a health system perspective, have increased effect with increased social media engagement, have increased effect in participants with both caregiver and patient (combined) with social media accounts, compared to participants where only the patient or only the caregiver uses social media (single),have increased patient satisfaction in the asthma education received and to obtain the experience and data needed to refine SME to be able to expand this platform for other chronic medical conditions with high healthcare utilization including pediatric diabetes, epilepsy, and sickle cell disease in children with asthma.
- Conditions
- Asthma in Children
- Being tested
- Social Media Enhanced Education, Usual Asthma Education
- Keywords
- Social Media, Pediatric Asthma, Healthcare Utilization
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Social Media Enhanced EducationOther
Along with usual asthma education received,participants will receive asthma education via various social media platforms ,Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat. Topics of education will include background on asthma and pathophysiology, asthma severity classification, asthma triggers, different medications and indications for when to take them, how to use an inhaler technique, and symptom monitoring.Online resources from the American Lung Association and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program will also be posted.
Usual Asthma EducationOther
For patients who are admitted to Children's Memorial Hermann for asthma exacerbation, asthma education is provided to patients and families on the day of discharge by the nurse and respiratory therapist on triggers, Signs \& Symptoms, Medication Use, Medication Delivery, Peak Flow, Zones and how to respond to each, and Cleaning equipment.Nursing staff are responsible for printing out education sheets to give to patients and showing an education video that is 20 minutes long. An asthma action plan are given to families on discharge. Patients that are discharged from the emergency room are given the same educational materials by the nurses and/or respiratory therapists except for the asthma video. Patients receive a variable amount of asthma education when going to usual clinic visits. The education provided is dependent on the provider, and usually limited in length to the time of the visit
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Social Media Enhanced Education |
| Control Group | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Usual Asthma Education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Total Number of Treatment Days in a Medical Setting (Hospital, Emergency Department (ED), Clinic)
Treatment days are defined as the summation of days in the hospital, ED, or in the clinic.
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Secondary outcomes (7)
Number of Days Hospitalized
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Participants With Hospital Readmissions
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Participants With Emergency Room Visits
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Total Number of Clinic Visits
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Patient Satisfaction and Understanding of Asthma Education
This outcome was assessed using a questionnaire item asking, "How satisfied are you with the amount of asthma education provided to you?" The question is scored from 1 to 5, a higher number indicating a better outcome.
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Missed Days of School
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Total Estimated Health System Costs, Hospital Costs, and Clinic Costs
Measured: 1 year after enrollment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Aug 2021
- Study start1 Oct 2021
- Primary completion15 Sep 2024
- Study completion15 Sep 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Asthma in ChildrenStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Monica Kodakandla, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
- Investigators
- Monica Kodakandla, MD, Principal investigator, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05013788
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HSC-MS-21-0426
- Other IDs
- UL1TR003167
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Aug 2021
- Last updated
- 11 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Using Social Media to Decrease Healthcare Utilization for Pediatric Asthma: a Pilot Randomized Control Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05013788
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HSC-MS-21-0426
- Conditions
- Asthma in Children
- Keywords
- Social Media, Pediatric Asthma, Healthcare Utilization
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center, HoustonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Sep 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Aug 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 24 Oct 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate if social media enhanced education (SME) will reduce total number of treatment days defined as summation of days of subsequent hospital admission, emergency room visits, and clinic visits, reduce missed school days, reduce total costs from a health system perspective, have increased effect with increased social media engagement, have increased effect in participants with both caregiver and patient (combined) with social media accounts, compared to participants where only the patient or only the caregiver uses social media (single),have increased patient satisfaction in the asthma education received and to obtain the experience and data needed to refine SME to be able to expand this platform for other chronic medical conditions with high healthcare utilization including pediatric diabetes, epilepsy, and sickle cell disease in children with asthma.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Experimental | Other: Social Media Enhanced Education |
| Control Group | Active comparator | Other: Usual Asthma Education |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 3 to 17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- hospitalized to Children's Memorial Hermann admitted for asthma exacerbation
- patient and/or primary caregiver must have internet access on cellular phones or at home and use a social media account (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- other chronic conditions besides asthma that may necessitate frequent health care utilization. i.e. children with complex chronic conditions, sickle cell, seizures, diabetes.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Enhanced EducationAlong with usual asthma education received,participants will receive asthma education via various social media platforms ,Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat. Topics of education will include background on asthma and pathophysiology, asthma severity classification, asthma triggers, different medications and indications for when to take them, how to use an inhaler technique, and symptom monitoring.Online resources from the American Lung Association and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program will also be posted. | Other | Treatment |
| Usual Asthma EducationFor patients who are admitted to Children's Memorial Hermann for asthma exacerbation, asthma education is provided to patients and families on the day of discharge by the nurse and respiratory therapist on triggers, Signs \& Symptoms, Medication Use, Medication Delivery, Peak Flow, Zones and how to respond to each, and Cleaning equipment.Nursing staff are responsible for printing out education sheets to give to patients and showing an education video that is 20 minutes long. An asthma action plan are given to families on discharge. Patients that are discharged from the emergency room are given the same educational materials by the nurses and/or respiratory therapists except for the asthma video. Patients receive a variable amount of asthma education when going to usual clinic visits. The education provided is dependent on the provider, and usually limited in length to the time of the visit | Other | Control Group |
Primary outcome
Total Number of Treatment Days in a Medical Setting (Hospital, Emergency Department (ED), Clinic)
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Treatment days are defined as the summation of days in the hospital, ED, or in the clinic.
7 secondary outcomes
Number of Days Hospitalized
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Participants With Hospital Readmissions
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Participants With Emergency Room Visits
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Total Number of Clinic Visits
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Patient Satisfaction and Understanding of Asthma Education
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Number of Missed Days of School
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Total Estimated Health System Costs, Hospital Costs, and Clinic Costs
Time frame: 1 year after enrollment
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Feb 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Monica Kodakandla, MD principal investigator
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Social Media Enhanced Education and Usual Asthma Education in people with Asthma in Children, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 24 Oct 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Total Number of Treatment Days in a Medical Setting (Hospital, Emergency Department (ED), Clinic) (time frame: 1 year after enrollment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Feb 2026.