Measure D1: Percentage of Children with Asthma

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• Between 1980 and 1995, the percentage of children with asthma doubled, from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 7.5 percent in 1995. A decrease in the percentage of children with asthma occurred between 1995 and 1996, but it is difficult to interpret single-year changes.
• It is difficult to obtain an accurate measurement of how many children have asthma, because asthma is a complex disease that can be difficult to differentiate from other wheezing disorders, especially in children under the age of 6 years. Prior to 1997, the percentage of children with asthma was measured by asking parents if a child in their family had asthma during the previous 12 months. Starting in 1997, a parent was asked if his or her child had ever been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional. If the parent answered yes, then he or she was asked if the child had an asthma attack or episode in the last 12 months. The percentage of children with an asthma attack in the last 12 months measures the population with incomplete control of asthma. For 1997-2000, available data do not distinguish between those children who may no longer have active asthma and those whose asthma is well controlled.
• Starting in 2001, the National Health Interview Survey included a question that allows the estimation of the percentage of children who currently have asthma. The results indicate that 9.3 percent (6.8 million) of children had asthma in 2006.

Related Measures:

• Criteria Air Pollutants
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• Cotinine in the Blood of Children