Campaign highlights impact pollution has on children with asthma  

A children’s asthma team in Lewisham is campaigning to highlight the impact air pollution has on lung health for children and young people.

The campaign, by Kaleidoscope Children and Young People Centre, in Rushey Green, Catford, is part of a national NHS initiative, #AskAboutAsthma 2024, which aims to educate parents and children on the condition and how to manage it.

Jessica Dorman has worked as a paediatric asthma specialist nurse at the Catford Centre for more than a year.

She said: “In the past year we have seen a gradual increase in the number of children needing medical attention for asthma.

“Pollution is definitely linked to that increase.

“The children we support who have recurring symptoms often live in busier roads.”

Analysis of the most recent NHS data by charity Asthma and Lung UK found that Lewisham had the second highest number of children with asthma being admitted to hospital in London between August and September 2021.

Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived near the South Circular road in Lewisham, became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate.

Ella died just after her ninth birthday in February 2013, having suffered a fatal asthma attack.

The family lived about 25m from the South Circular, which Ella walked by on her way to and from school. 

Ms Dorman said: “We always advise parents to make sure their children are taking the quieter routes to school – going through a park instead of a main road.

“We also make sure they are aware that children in pushchairs are not at the same level as a car’s exhaust pipe – which can mean they are more exposed to pollution.

“If they live on a busy road, windows in their home should be closed at peak times.”

Lewisham council has introduced two Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) since 2021 in an attempt to combat pollution. A report from City Hall released last month found that levels of harmful air pollutants have “dropped significantly” in the capital since the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded last August.

Ms Dorman said: “We have not seen a reduction in asthma rates since ULEZ but these improvements will take time.”

Asthma affects people of all ages, but often starts in childhood. The most common symptoms, including wheezing, coughing, breathlessness and a tight chest, can usually be controlled with treatment.

As part of the campaign, Sanya Ferguson-Grant, a community asthma specialist nurse at the centre, is urging parents of children with asthma to ensure they have an “asthma action plan”.

She said: “It’s really important that children with asthma have a personalised action plan which is reviewed and followed up with their GP.

“This can help make sure they are using the right inhalers with the correct technique and understand how to control triggers and limit exposure.”

From September 9 to 15, free webinars and conferences will be hosted to advise parents on how to manage asthma in children.

For more information visit https://www.transformationpartners.nhs.uk/askaboutasthma-2024/

Pictured top: Sanya Ferguson-Grant visiting a Lewisham school to teach young people about asthma (Picture: Sanya Ferguson-Grant)