FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING PRACTICE

HEALTH AND ILLNESS MODELS

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ON ECOLOGIC MODEL

Ecologic Model Report

Submitted by:

GROUP 8

Bravo, Joash Kyle

Chua, Chane Rio F.

Kua, Cyrine

Sanchez, Jerald

Serrano, Sofia Andrei O.

 HYPOTHESIS

The presence of episodic symptoms of airway obstruction evidenced by

dyspnea, wheezing, coughing, pain, and tightening of the chest experienced by the

patient in the past 30 minutes are clinical manifestations of Asthma which the patient

suffered as a result of engaging in strenuous physical activities specifically intensively

working out during a cold season that lead to narrowing of the airway.

PREDISPOSING FACTORS

HOST FACTORS:

● Age: Patient is 19 years old

● Diet: Unhealthy diet

● Nutritional status: Overweight

● Family history: Father has asthma

AGENT:

● Strenuous physical activity (intense workout)

● Cold air
ENVIRONMENT:

● Behavioural: Participation in strenuous physical activities despite being aware

of the possibility of an asthma attack.

● Abiotic: Cold temperature due to the cold and wet season.

ECOLOGIC MODEL

A
Agent
HOST
• Strenuous physical activity H • Age-Varied
(intense workout)
• Sex-It can be male or female
• Cold Air
E •
•
Nutritional status: Overweight
Family History: Father has asthma

Environment:

• Behavioural: Participation in strenuous physical activities despite being aware of the

possibility of an asthma attack
• Abiotic: Cold temperature due to the cold and wet season.

ANALYSIS

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects both children and adults. Because of
inflammation and tightening of the muscles surrounding the small airways, the air
passages in the lungs become narrow. Asthma symptoms include coughing,
wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms come and go
and are usually worse at night or during exercise. Other common "triggers" can
aggravate asthma symptoms. Triggers differ from person to person, but they can
include viral infections (colds), dust, smoke, fumes, changes in weather, grass and
tree pollen, animal fur and feathers, strong soaps, and perfume. (WHO, 2021)

A. HOST

AGE:
 Unhealthy Diet: A new study suggests that diet may play a significant
role in asthma, a chronic inflammation of the airways.They discovered that
adolescents who consumed less than 25% of a daily fruit serving had a greater
likelihood of having less efficient lung function than their peers. "Teens who
consumed the least fruit, vitamins C and E, and omega-3 fatty acids had
decreased lung function and reported more respiratory symptoms such as
cough and wheeze," says study author Jane Burns, an epidemiologist at
Harvard School of Public Health in Boston (Ballantyne, 2007)

Nutritional status: Overweight: According to the American Lung

Association, excess weight around the chest and abdomen may constrict the
lungs and make breathing more difficult. Additionally, fat tissue produces
inflammatory substances that may impair lung function and contribute to the
development of asthma. (Rodriguez. 2019)

Family history: Father has asthma: Nonetheless, asthma in one or

more first-degree relatives was consistently identified as a risk factor for
asthma. The sensitivity and predictive value of a positive family history of
asthma could be calculated in ten studies: sensitivity ranged from 4% to 43%,
positive predictive value from 11% to 37%, and negative predictive value from
86% to 97%. Although a positive family history predicts an increased risk of
asthma, it only identifies a small percentage of children at risk. Positive family
history may be useful in targeting some individual prevention efforts, but its low
positive predictive value limits its utility as a means of directing environmental
remediation efforts.

B. AGENT

Strenuous physical activity (intense workout): Anyone can

experience shortness of breath during exercise. Exercise-induced
bronchoconstriction is the obstruction of airflow caused by exercise (EIB). This
condition was previously referred to as exercise-induced asthma. This term is
used incorrectly to imply that exercise causes asthma. Up to 90% of people
with asthma will experience EIB symptoms during exercise. This may be the
most common cause of asthma symptoms in adolescents and young adults.

Cold Air: Cold air is detrimental for most asthmatics because it irritates
the bronchial tubes and triggers asthma symptoms. When cold air enters the
airways, the lungs tighten. Cold air contains less moisture, and breathing it in
 might cause the airways to dry out. This can cause the airways to spasm,
resulting in an asthma episode with coughing. If you have asthma, you should
try to stay indoors as much as possible throughout the chilly winter months.

C. ENVIRONMENT

Behavioral: During exercise and physical activity, you will frequently

breathe faster through your mouth, causing cold and dry air to enter your
lungs and irritate the airways. The cold and dry air can cause the muscles
surrounding the airway to tighten, increasing the likelihood of an asthma flare-
up. Breathing through the mouth rather than the nose is more usual during
activity. Because the mouth does not warm air as well as the nose, during
exercising, a person is more prone to breathe cooler air. As a person
diagnosed with asthma, it is your responsibility to stay away from factors that
might cause your asthma to flare-up. Engaging with strenuous physical
activities is not advisable for people who are diagnosed with asthma for it can
be too much for them to handle and end up having asthma attacks which can
be detrimental for them.

Abiotic: During the Cold season, we obviously expect cooler

temperatures, and cold, dry air is a typical asthma trigger that can result in

severe flare-ups. This is especially true for persons who participate in winter

activities and suffer from exercise-induced asthma. Wet and windy weather

might also be problematic. Mold grows in wet climates, and wind can spread

mold and pollen through the air.

Nobody knows for certain why asthma occurs. Asthma is a condition that tends
to run in families and may be inherited, and environmental factors may also play a
significant role. While scientists continue to investigate the cause of asthma, they do
know that the following factors contribute significantly to its development: Genetics,
Allergies, Respiratory Infections, and Environment. (American Lung Association
Scientific, 2020)
 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

It is therefore concluded that the presence of episodic symptoms of airway

obstruction evidenced by dyspnea, wheezing, coughing, pain, and tightening of the
chest experienced by the patient in the past 30 minutes are clinical manifestations of
Asthma as confirmed by the Spirometry determining the pulmonary function of the
patient. It is then recommended for the patient to maintain normal activity levels,
including exercise and maintain pulmonary function as close to normal as possible.
The Global Initiative for Asthma also recommends that all adults and adolescents
diagnosed with asthma should receive ICS-containing controller treatment which can
be either symptom-driven or daily to reduce the risk of serious exacerbations and to
control symptoms.

REFERENCES:

Cold air and asthma = winter asthma. (2021, February 22). Allergy & Asthma
Network. Retrieved from:
https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/news/cold-air-asthma-in-winter/

Can the weather affect my child’s asthma (n.d). Nemours Kidshealth - the web’s most visited
side about children health. Retrieved from:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/weather-asthma.html

NallN, R. (n.d.). Cold-induced asthma: Causes and treatment. Medical and health
information. Retrieved from
:https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325492

Asthma: Nursing care management and study guide. (2021, February 20) Nurselabs.
Retrieved from:
https://nurseslabs.com/asthma/