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Running Head: Asthma incidents

Exercise #3

Trends in Childhood Asthma: Prevalence, Health Care, Utilization, and Mortality

Marvin Merriweather

SOWK 300

Tuskegee University

Thursday, September 23, 2010

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Abstract

The objective is to use the national data to produce a comprehensive description of trends in

childhood asthma prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality to assess changes in the

disease burden among US children. Five data sources’ from the National Center for Health

Statistics were used t describe trends in asthma for children aged 0-18 years of age to the most

recent year for which data was available. Asthma prevalence increased by an average of 4.3%

per year from, 1980 to 1996 from 3.6% to 6.2%. Recent data suggest that the burden from

childhood asthma may have recently plateued after several years of increasing, although

additional years of data collection are necessary to confirm a change in trend. Racial and ethnic

disparities remain large for asthma health care, utilization, and mortality.
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Magnitude of the Problem– Figure 1

Descriptive Discussion of Figure 1

Figure one compares the prevalence of asthma attacks with black and white children under the

age of 18. Asthma prevalence among children ages zero to seventeen has increased from 36 per

1000 children to 75 per 1000 from the year 1980 to 1995. This affects the all ethnic groups. With

the main focus surrounded around African American. Due to the fact that given information in
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data table one, it is clearly stated that African Americans seem to have substantially high number

of occurrence of asthma incidence than any other ethnic group.

Interpretive Discussion of Figure 1

The National center for Disease control states that Asthma is the leading chronic childhood

illness in the United Sates. One of the reasoning’s for this is believed to be the patients and

families being inadequately educated about the disease and don’t have access to high quality

health care. This only leads to poor outcomes for childhood asthma, such as hospitalizations and

deaths, are at least partially sensitive to the quality of ambulatory health care.

Scope of the Problem – Figure 2

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Descriptive Discussion Figure 2

In figure two hospitalization rates were substantially higher among 0-4 year olds and

increased more rapidly compared with other children. After 1996, asthma hospitalization rates

plateued among all age groups. The Childhood asthma hospitalization rate grew slowly form

1980-1999, by an average of 1.4% per year. Asthma hospitalization rates increased to a much

greater extent among black children than white children. The hospital rate among black children

was 3.6 times the rate of white children.

Interpretive Discussion of Figure 2

The graph in figure two shows that black children as well as white children were fairly

equal in hospital visitation at the start of the 90’s. The major decrease and increase of the black

hospital visitation could be due to a third unforeseen variable. We can assume that the third

variable could have been a change in health care by the government around that time period. We

could also assume that the third variable could have been an increase in education in the black

community and they were made more aware of the dangers of asthma.

Disparities in the Problem– Figure3

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Descriptive Discussion of Figure 3

Asthma death rates increased by an average of 3.4% per year from 1990 to 1998 (Fig 1

Table 4). After reaching of 3.8 per 1,000,000 children in 1996 the childhood asthma death rate

declined 18% in 1997 to 3.1 per 1, 000, 00 children, black non Hispanic children had the highest

death rates and the greatest increase overtime. Black non Hispanic children were 4.1 times higher

and white children were 4.6 times higher than what the rate of blacks was.

Interpretive Discussion of Figure 3

Through analysis of my researched statistical data tables I have found that the disparities

related to asthma incidence in children under the age of eighteen can be closely related to race as

well as the individual’s social economic status. Given all information in the following tables I

feel it is safe to say that prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates are considerably higher and

more prevalent among minorities and African American children compared to white children.
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Summary and Conclusion

Asthma is a serious illness that if left untreated or lack of proper medication over a period

of time could lead to prolong hospital visitations. The mortality rate can be connected to the

social economic status of minorities and African Americans as a whole. Due to the fact that

African American are considered the minority to the white community blacks are associated with

poverty. Being associated with poverty makes it more difficult for those children and their

families to afford adequate resources for asthma treatment. Through my recent studies it has

revealed that the African American community takes the blunt of the problem. I firmly believe

that one reason the African American community has a higher mortality rate, than, those of the

white community is because of our history with the medical profession. Because of experiment

like the Tuskegee syphilis study the African American culture are less likely to receive treatment

from health care professionals, and unfortunately have passed this trait down through the

generations.

The charts above also project the prevalence of asthma amongst whites as well as African

Americans. Even though these result where close I feel that it is a third variable that plays a part

in asthma being more prevalent in African Americans, and that being most African Americans

are considered over weight in society today. Weight plays a major part in health and due to our

culture our diet is not the best.

The government has a major role in lowering the cases death for asthma in

children under the age of 18. If the government would put focus on bettering the health care

system in the United States it would allow more people to be able to afford the proper

medication and treatment over a longer period of time. When the health care system is complete
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the final step would be to set up programs so that people can be educated and more aware of the

seriousness of asthma and know the proper steps to take to receive help, so they won’t be a

statistic in the charts above.

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References

Akinbami, L. J., & Schoendorf, K. C. (2002). Trends in Childhood Asthma: Prevalence, Health

Care Utilization, and Mortality. PEDIATRICS, 110, 315-322. doi:10.1542/peds.110.2.315

National Center for Health Sta,. (Year, Month. Day). In Asthma Incidence Among Children

Under 18 Years of Age by Selected Characteristics: 2007. (chap. Summary Health Statistics for

U.S. ChildrenNational Health Interview Survey) Retrieved Sep. 13, 2010,