Respiratory diseases and conditions—including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obstructive sleep apnea, and drowsy driving—constitute significant public health burdens in the United States. Chronic lower respiratory disease, which includes asthma and COPD, is 1 of the 10 leading causes of death. Between 1982 and 1996, asthma was one of the four most common causes of chronic illness in children.¹

One of the two overarching goals of Healthy People 2010 is to increase quality and years of healthy life. The asthma death rate of persons aged 65 years and older declined from 69.5 deaths per million to 58.1 per million between 1999 and 2002. The rate for COPD deaths of persons aged 45 years and older also declined during this same time period.

The proportion of persons who ever had asthma and who reported activity limitations decreased. The proportion of persons aged 18 years and older who ever had asthma and who also reported formal asthma education increased. An increase also occurred in the proportion of persons who reported receiving assistance in reducing environmental triggers.

The second goal of Healthy People 2010 is to eliminate health disparities. Inequalities in respiratory health continued to persist across racial and ethnic populations and across education and income levels. However, some progress in reducing disparities was made.