Health Indicator Report of Asthma: Child Prevalence

"Diagnosing and managing asthma in children under age 5 can be difficult. In infants and young children, the primary symptoms of asthma like wheezing and coughing may be caused by other conditions. Also, standard diagnostic tests used to measure how well someone is breathing cannot be used easily or accurately with children under age 5." [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-asthma/in-depth/asthma-in-children/art-20044376]

Notes

*Use caution in interpreting. The estimate has a coefficient of variation >30% and is therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards.

Data Source

Utah Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [https://ibis.utah.gov/ibisph-view/query/selection/brfss/BRFSSSelection.html]

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 home ownership during weighting.

Definition

Percentage of Utah children ages 0-17 who have ever been diagnosed with asthma and who still have asthma.

Numerator

Number of Utah children ages 0-17 who were diagnosed with asthma and who still have asthma.

Denominator

Total number of Utah children ages 0-17.

How Are We Doing?

Child asthma rates show no sign of declining in Utah. Child asthma point prevalence is higher for males compared to females at every age category. The highest prevalence for males and females was in the age category 15-17 (10.0% and 9.4%, respectively) (2019-2022 BRFSS).

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

In 2022, it was estimated that 7.2% of children in Utah had current asthma. This was slightly higher than the estimated child asthma prevalence for the U.S. for that same year, 6.7% (2022 BRFSS).^*^ This is the first year that Utah has had a higher child asthma prevalence than the U.S.[[br]] [[br]] ---- ''^*^The U.S. prevalence is based on 29 states plus DC that asked about child asthma prevalence in their state BRFSS.''

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 health care 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 health care and increasing coordination and coverage for comprehensive asthma control services both in the public health and health care sectors. Specifically, these strategies include identifying people with poorly controlled asthma, linking them to health care 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.

Available Services

A list of Utah Asthma Program services for clinicians, community health workers, and people with asthma can be found here: [https://asthma.utah.gov/] Additionally, individual programs in the Office Health Promotion and Prevention provide information and education to citizens, physicians, and health care providers on chronic conditions. Resources can be found here: [https://dhhs.utah.gov/office-of-health-promotion-and-prevention/]

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]