College Survival Guide

1. Young people going off to school need to take responsibility for their own health. Make sure your student works with his physician to update his written asthma management plan.

2. Dorm rooms are small and crammed with one or more roommates. Discuss your child’s need for a clean environment with the dean of housing.

3. Teach your child how to dust and vacuum, and hope that he does both while at school! Using a HEPA filter will remove 99.9 percent of respirable particles but not the mold from leftover pizzas shoved under the bed. Cleanliness counts!

4. Leave area rugs and upholstered furniture along with their hitchhiking dust mites at home.

5. Cover mattress and pillows with dust mite covers. Teach your child to wash bed linens weekly, using the hot setting on the machine.

6. Even dorms designated for nonsmokers can be smoky unless penalties for smoking are enforced! Get a copy of the policy and penalties for violations before college begins. If a violation occurs, contact the dean of housing right away. If it is not immediately resolved, contact the college president. Prolonged or repeated exposure to tobacco smoke can result in serious asthma episodes.

7. Discuss ways to handle social situations where there may be tobacco smoke.

8. If you are concerned about an asthma episode at college, interview and select a primary care physician and an asthma or allergy specialist near the school. Give the new doctors a copy of your child’s written asthma management plan, along with medical records and insurance and prescription information.

9. If food allergies are a problem, structure a plan for avoiding allergens, and speak with the dean of food services to discuss any instances where cross-contamination of foods can be life-threatening. Pack medications for treating food allergy emergencies and make certain your child knows how and when to use them.

10. Viral and bacterial infections proliferate in college dorms! Reinforce the importance of using antibacterial soaps and lotions for frequent hand washing, washing the phone mouthpiece and handset weekly, eating a balanced diet, and using medications preventively and at the first sign of a cold! Make sure your child gets a flu vaccination each year.

11. If your child is currently taking allergy shots to prevent symptoms, make arrangements with the school health center to have these continued.

12. The final tip is for you: Do anything and everything to keep your mind off what your child is doing while he’s away. Chances are everything will be just fine after he encounters a few bumps and survives them on his own!