Prevalence of Childhood Asthma Trending Downward

Who Did Asthma Affect? Age, gender, race, and economic status are all factors in which children are affected with asthma with more boys being affected than girls, older children more affected than younger children, 3.6% more children living in lower-income families being affected, and 5.8%-8.6% more black and Puerto Rican children affected than white children.

Rise, then Decline in Prevalence. The rise of asthma in children was steady from 2001 to 2010, but then declined in 2016. However, asthma did increase in Mexican/Mexican-American children. 

Downward Trends. The prevalence of asthma in children is showing promising declining trends with attacks decreasing by 8% and fewer children being hospitlized and missing school.

More Kids Learning More About Early Warning Signs. More children are being educated about the warning signs of asthma with 80% being taught how to repsond to an attack, 50.6% learning how to use a peak flow meter, and 46.4% receiving advice on environmental control. 

Authors' Conclusions. While steps are being made to decrease the prevalence of asthma in children, it is still an important public health and medical issue. The health of children can be further improved by increasing not only children's education, but also parents and others involved in their care.