Introduction
Although there are a number of different sources for prevalence data, surveys are among the sources most commonly used for asthma prevalence. Each survey, however, may have questions that are worded slightly differently, or a survey may change wording from year to year. Wording differences are very important when performing analyses because the differences can affect how respondent answer the question and, therefore, the value of the prevalence measure. The links below will take you directly to the asthma questions as they were worded each year for the listed surveys. A direct link to the specific survey’s home page is also provided.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state level survey of the adult civilian noninstitutionalized population (age 18 and older). It is a cooperative survey among the states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey tracks health risks in the U.S. adult population. Information from the survey is used to improve the health of the American people and assess progress toward the Healthy People 2010 [external link] goals, which are national health objectives established by the Department of Health and Human Services ...more
Before 1999, several states included questions about asthma on their BRFSS questionnaire, but the wording of the questions varied among those states. In 1999, an optional two-question adult asthma module was added to the BRFSS, representing the first effort to systematically collect state-based asthma prevalence data. In 2000, the two questions were included in the core of the BRFSS questionnaire and were asked in all participating states and territories. The two adult asthma prevalence questions will be included in the BRFSS in future years as well.
Beginning with 2001, nine questions on adult asthma history and two questions on child prevalence became available as an optional asthma module. In 2002, the adult and child questions were separated. The nine adult questions became the Adult Asthma History module. In 2005, the ninth question on the adult module, which had asked about taking medication in general, was separated into two questions: one about controller medications and one about rescue medications. The two child questions became the Child Asthma Prevalence module. In 2005, the Random Child Selection module was added as an additional step before the administration of the Child Asthma Prevalence module.
For each year of BRFSS asthma data, two asthma prevalence measures were constructed. Lifetime asthma is defined as an affirmative response to the question “Have you ever been told by a doctor {nurse or other health professional} that you have asthma?” Current asthma is defined as an affirmative response to that question followed by an affirmative response to the subsequent question “Do you still have asthma?”
- Survey questions
[PDF, 115 Kb]
Contains questions from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, as well as state-added asthma questions.
BRFSS Call-back Surveys
The BRFSS Adult and Child Call-back Surveys converts the National Asthma Survey to a call-back survey administered as part of BRFSS. It first became available in 2005, when it was piloted as a 3-state sample. The 2005 data was released in 2007. In 2006, 25 states participated. In 2007, 35 states are using the BRFSS Call-back Survey.
When the Adult Asthma Call-back survey is administered, it is unnecessary to do the Adult Asthma History Module since the first eight questions on the module are included in the call-back survey, and the two medication questions on the module (the last two) are dropped and replaced by medication questions that are more in-depth. When the Child Asthma Call-back survey is administered, it is still necessary to do the Random Child Selection Module and the Child Asthma Prevalence Module to identify which households have a child with asthma and must be called back.
- 2005 BRFSS Asthma Call-back Survey questionnaire [PDF, 421 Kb]
- 2006 BRFSS Asthma Call-back Survey questionnaire [PDF, 427 Kb]
- 2007 BRFSS Asthma Call-back Survey questionnaire [PDF, 428 Kb]
- 2006 and 2007 BRFSS Asthma Call-back Survey Spanish questionnaire [PDF, 496 Kb]
- 2008 BRFSS Asthma call-back Survey questionnaires
National Asthma Survey (NAS)
The National Asthma Survey (NAS) examines the health, socioeconomic, behavioral, and environmental predictors that relate to better control of asthma. This study will also help to characterize the content of care and health care experiences of persons with asthma. Data will be available in late 2004 ...more
National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
This survey, sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, examines the physical and emotional health of children ages 0-17 years of age. Special emphasis is placed on factors that may relate to well-being of children, including medical homes, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and safe neighborhoods ...more
This survey includes measures of asthma in children:
- How many children/youth experienced asthma-related health issues during the past 12 months?
- How many children/youth currently have asthma and did not experience health effects during the past 12 months?
- To what extent does children's asthma affect families?
- How many children/youth were hospitalized for asthma during the past 12 months?
- How many children live in households with tobacco smokers?
- Has parent EVER been told child/youth has asthma?
- How long since children/youth reported as ever having asthma last took asthma medication?
- How many children/youth currently have asthma?
- How many children/youth reported as ever having asthma had an asthma attack within the past 12 months?
- How many children/youth reported as ever having asthma were hospitalized for asthma during the past 12 months?
- How many children/youth who have ever had asthma are reported to still have it?
- To what extent does children's asthma affect their families?
- Was parent told during the past 12 months that child/youth had hay fever or respiratory allergy?
- What level of asthma-related health difficulties do children/youth with asthma experience?
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiologic and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs ...more
- Survey questions
[PDF, 126 Kb]
Contains questions from 1979-1996, 1997-2000, 2001- Current as well as periodic questions.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This survey has been designed to collect information about the health and diet of people in the United States. NHANES is unique in that it combines a home interview with health tests that are done in a Mobile Examination Center ...more
- Survey questions
[PDF, 99 Kb]
Contains questions from 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1988-1994, and 1999-Current (annual).
National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS)
The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) are conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The National Longitudinal Surveys are a set of surveys designed to gather information at multiple times on the labor market activities and other significant life events of several groups of men and women. In 1986, a separate survey of all children born to NLSY79 female respondents began, greatly expanding the breadth of child-specific information collected. In addition to all the mother's information from the NLSY79, the child survey includes assessments of each child as well as additional demographic and development information collected from either the mother or child ...more [external link]
- Survey questions
[PDF, 79 Kb]
Contains questions from NLSY79 Children and Young Adults.
International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)
ISAAC, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, was formed in 1991 to facilitate research into asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema by promoting a standardized methodology. ISAAC Phase One uses simple methods for measuring the prevalence of childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic eczema for international comparisons, suitable for different geographical locations and languages ...more [external link]
