The Star Press reports that every year, hundreds of thousands of children visit the emergency room because of asthma attacks. Parents of asthmatic children should consider creating some sort of action plan.

The columnist, whose child suffers from asthma, suggests the "traffic light" plan:

• Green means go. Your child is breathing well and has no asthma symptoms. The peak flow reading is greater than 80 percent of your child's personal best.



• Yellow means caution. Your child has some asthma symptoms. The peak flow monitor reading is 50 to 80 percent of your child's personal best.



• Red means stop/danger. Your child's asthma symptoms are bad. Your child has difficulty breathing. The peak flow reading is less than 50 percent of your child's personal best. You must get help now!


The writer learned about this action plan from Sutter Health Network's Parent's Guide to Asthma.

For more information about childhood asthma, see Disarming Asthma - A Mother's Perspective.