Childhood asthma, the most common childhood disease has greatly increased in prevalence in the last 15 years. However, the estimates of childhood asthma prevalence have not included undiagnosed asthmatic children. A unique population-based asthma surveillance system has been developed and was conducted in 499 public middle schools (123,000 children) in North Carolina to measure both diagnosed and undiagnosed asthmatic children. The University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) collaboratively developed a questionnaire which includes an adapted ISAAC [International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.] Children were shown five video scenes of adolescents experiencing asthma symptoms. North Carolina has a high prevalence of currently diagnosed asthma (10%) and wheezing (19%) in public middle school children, for a combine total of 30% of children reporting asthmatic symptoms. No differences were found among urban rural areas or geographic regions. Diagnosed asthmatic children with frequent (one or more times/month) wheeze were 1.5 (95% CI 1.36, 1.68) likely to be current smokers, 1.45 (95%CI 1.3, 1.5) times as likely to be girls and 1.33 (95%CI 1.03, 1.7) times as likely to be Native American compared with non-frequent wheezing diagnosed asthmatics. Frequent undiagnosed asthmatics were 1.92 times (1.78, 2.06) times as likely to be current smokers and 1.4 times (95% CI 1.35, 1.55) as likely to be of low SES as non-frequent wheezers. DHHS will use the public school surveillance data to help local community asthma coalitions target interventions in these groups.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe a public school-based surveillance system for asthma 2. Identify the demographics of children with frequent wheezing but no diagnosis of asthma 3. Recognize the demographics of children with frequenty wheezing and a diagnosis of asthma
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.