SUBJECTS: Science
YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Asthma is one of the most common chronic health problems in Australia.
Fortunately, a lot is known about the causes of asthma attacks, and how to treat them.
View this clip to find out what happens to the airways of an asthma sufferer and how this disease can be managed.
Things to think about
- 1.What do you know about asthma? What might you notice about a person's breathing if they are suffering from asthma? What body organs are affected?
- 2.The clip contains a segment called 'How does it happen?' Watch the diagram showing an asthma sufferer's airways. What happens to the airways and breathing when asthma is triggered? What trigger factors are listed in the clip? Two ways of controlling asthma are with the use of relievers and preventatives. How do these differ?
- 3.The body's airways form part of the respiratory system. Draw a diagram of the respiratory system, including the nose, mouth, windpipe and lungs. Draw another diagram showing what happens to the airways during an asthma attack. You could use the internet to research the respiratory system and add to your diagram.
- 4.Over the past decade, the rate of asthma in children in Australia has declined to about one in nine or ten and for adults has remained stable at about one in ten. However, asthma is still more common in Australia than many parts of the world. That means, many of us must live with asthma, so find out more about what you can do to better manage your asthma or to assist someone suffering an asthma attack.
Date of broadcast: 2005
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).