Ten years of geographic, temporal, and demographic trends in U.S. asthma prevalence

Asthma is a serious health condition that can manifest as acute life-threatening episodes and/or as a long-term chronic illness that significantly reduces quality of life. Certain groups are at higher risk for asthma including females, those of lower socio-economic status, smokers, certain racial and ethnic groups, and/or overweight individuals. Thus, changes in the prevalence of asthma at the population level may serve as a warning indicator for the existence of latent public health issues (e.g., health disparities, environmental factors) that are relevant to healthy community initiatives. Asthma prevalence is also known to significantly vary across different geographic regions of the United States. However, such spatial variation has been relatively little studied, especially in the context of temporal dynamics and demographic risk factors. This study is an investigation of the temporal changes in asthma prevalence, by U.S. states, using ten years of data (2000 – 2009) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This investigation includes an exploration of the role of contributing factors such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomics, and other demographics on the state-by-state differences in asthma prevalence, using multiple logistic regression analysis. Such information will contribute to a better understanding the complex etiology of asthma, in order to better inform public health interventions.