VSU Professor Needs Participants For Asthma Study

VALDOSTA -- Participants are needed for a research study on asthma.

James D. Holland, an assistant professor in the Valdosta State University College of Nursing, is seeking black men and women between the ages of 18 and 70 who have a diagnosis of asthma, take bronchodilators more than twice a week, and can read, write, and speak English. Participants will be asked to complete a diary twice a day for seven days and a set of questionnaires about their asthma.

“The purpose of this study is to understand how this population self-manages their asthma,” he said. “This information will assist health care providers -- nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and doctors -- in better caring for individuals with asthma in this population.”

Holland hopes to recruit 50 participants for the study, which will put him one step closer to realizing his dream of obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing. He is a student at Georgia State University -- when he is not teaching at VSU or working in the field -- and anticipates completing the program in the spring of 2013.

“This is my doctoral dissertation, and it is titled ‘Factors Which Influence Adult African-Americans’ Asthma Self-Management,’” he said.

Holland currently holds a Master of Science in nursing. He is a registered nurse, a respiratory care practitioner, and a registered respiratory therapist. The latter led to him choosing asthma as the focus of his study.

“I have worked with populations with lung programs my entire health care career,” he said. “I have a passion for people with lung problems and lung diseases. Asthma is something that is manageable, and I want to understand why the mortality and morbidity rate is still so high.”

Study participants will receive a $10 gift card and educational information about asthma. Holland estimates the entire seven-day study will take about two hours of each participant’s time.

To determine eligibility to join James D. Holland’s research study on asthma, please call (229) 221-0488 or send an email to jdhollan@valdosta.edu.