Catch-A-Roach Project

The Hawaii Catch-A-Roach (Hopua Mai i ka `Elelu) project, a collaboration between the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and the Hawaii Department of Health, is an awareness campaign that strives to reduce exposure to cockroaches, which are a major asthma trigger. The project aims to raise awareness of the link between cockroaches and asthma and to reduce exposure to cockroaches. The project uses educational brochures to inform residents about effective strategies for limiting cockroach exposure; for example, keeping cockroaches from entering the home, maintaining a clean home, and using traps. In addition, the project distributes non-toxic cockroach traps to homes participating in the intervention. The project launched in May 2008 with a pilot campaign at Kalihi Valley Homes, a public housing complex. Information materials and cockroach traps were distributed to families living in the complex.

The goal of the Hawaii Catch-A-Roach Project is to reduce preventable asthma complications and emergency room visits and hospitalizations by increasing awareness of the link between cockroaches and asthma and reducing exposure to cockroaches.

In order to evaluate the project, participants at Kalihi Valley Homes were asked to complete satisfaction surveys to determine if traps were well-received, if knowledge increased, and if participants planned to continue using the traps. The surveys indicated that after implementation of the intervention, the use of potentially harmful bug sprays, foggers and bombs decreased to 25% (compared to 63% before the intervention) and the use of cockroach bait increased to 81% (compared to 31% before the intervention). Other survey findings included the following: 88% of residents felt the traps were helpful, 81% saw fewer cockroaches after using the traps, and 69% saw “more than 20” roaches caught in the trap.