Definition
Individuals with current asthma who responded 'yes' to questions regarding asthma management. Current asthma includes individuals who reported having been told by a doctor that they have asthma and who currently have asthma.Numerator
Total number of individuals who responded 'yes' to asthma management questions.Denominator
Includes all survey respondents except those with missing, don't know, or refused answers to the asthma management questions.Data Interpretation Issues
In 2011, the BRFSS changed its methodology from a landline-only sample and weighting based on post-stratification to a landline/cell phone sample and raking as the weighting methodology. Raking accounts for variables such as income, education, marital status, and homeownership during weighting.Why Is This Important?
Asthma is a serious personal and public health issue that has far-reaching medical, economic, and psychosocial implications. The burden of asthma can be seen in the number of asthma-related medical events, including emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.What Is Being Done?
The Utah Asthma Program (UAP) works with the Utah Asthma Task Force and other partners to maximize the reach, impact, efficiency, and sustainability of comprehensive asthma control services in Utah. This is accomplished by providing a seamless alignment of asthma services across the public health and healthcare sector, ensuring that people with asthma receive all of the services they need.
The UAP focuses on building program infrastructure and implementing strategies that improve asthma control, reduce asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and reduce health care costs. Program infrastructure is strengthened through a focus on strategies to create and support a comprehensive asthma control program, these strategies include: strengthening leadership, building strategic partnerships, and using strategic communication, surveillance, and evaluation. In addition, the UAP implements strategies outlined in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) EXHALE technical package to improve asthma control. The six strategy areas outlined in the EXHALE technical package are:[[br]]
1. Education on asthma self-management.[[br]]
2. e-Xtinguishing smoking and secondhand smoke.[[br]]
3. Home visits for trigger reduction and asthma self-management.[[br]]
4. Achievement of guidelines-based medical management.[[br]]
5. Linkages and coordination of care across settings.[[br]]
6. Environmental policies or best practices to reduce asthma triggers from indoor, outdoor, and occupational sources.
These strategies are expected to improve asthma control and quality of life by increasing access to healthcare and increasing coordination and coverage for comprehensive asthma control services both in the public health and healthcare sectors. Specifically, these strategies include identifying people with poorly controlled asthma, linking them to healthcare providers and NAEPP EPR-3 guidelines-based care, educating them on asthma self-management strategies, providing a supportive school environment, and referring to or providing home trigger reduction services for those who need them.Health Program Information
Utah Asthma Program website: [https://asthma.utah.gov/]
CDC EXHALE package: [https://www.cdc.gov/national-asthma-control-program/php/exhale/index.html]
