Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms in A Screened School-Age Population of Poor Children in Houston, Texas (1997–1998)

Abstract

In the United States, the prevalence of asthma is greater in urban African American children than their white counterparts, but data for Hispanic children are not consistent. Prevalence of asthma in "Hispanic" children may be dependent on one or more factors such as of socioeconomic status, geographic location, and country of origin. We screened a predominately African American and Mexican American population of poor children in a large city for self-reported symptoms that might suggest asthma and then asked their parents about both symptoms and diagnosis of asthma. A video-guided yes/no questionnaire was administered in the fall of 1997 to 21,852 children in grades 1-4 (ages 6-10) in 60 schools; a questionnaire was then sent to the parents of the 10,454 children who reported at least one asthma symptom. Asthma had already been diagnosed in 8.16%. However, 51% of the children whose parents reported daytime wheezing (10.46%) had not received a diagnosis of asthma. Percentages of wheeze ranged from 5% of Asian children, 7% of Hispanic children, and slightly under 10% of non-Hispanic white children to more than 16% of African American children. This study confirms previous findings of a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms in poor African American children; it also provides evidence that poor Mexican American children are less likely to have asthma symptoms than other ethnic groups, including poor non-Hispanic whites. This last is contrary to findings with Puerto Rican children living on the mainland. (Pediatr Asthma Allergy Immunol 2007; 20[1]:11-18.) 11