One in Six US High-school Students Has Asthma

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a national survey of high-school students, approximately one in six reported that they currently have asthma, and of these, more than one in three had an attack during the preceding year, investigators at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

In the CDC's 2003 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 13,222 students across the US completed questionnaires regarding their history of asthma.

Dr. S. Merkle and colleagues report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that almost 19 percent of respondents had told by a doctor or nurse at some point that they had asthma.

The survey also showed that 16 percent currently had asthma, and 38 percent of those with current asthma had experienced an asthma episode during the 12 months preceding the survey.

The results indicated that significantly fewer Hispanic (13 percent) students than black or white (17 percent) students reported current asthma.

Among those with current asthma, girls were more likely than boys to report an episode during the previous year (45 percent versus 31 percent).

"Schools can help improve asthma management among students whose asthma is not well controlled by providing health services, education, and control of environmental triggers," the authors note.

Measures that they say could improve asthma management include the requirement of a written asthma action plan for all students with asthma, providing education on asthma basics, ensuring an emergency response when necessary, and prohibiting tobacco use.

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 12, 2005.