Asthma Control and Associated Factors Among Children with Current Asthma - Findings from the 2019 Child Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System - Asthma Call-Back Survey

Bruck Messele Habte; Kebede A Beyene; Shivani A Patel; Teferi Gedif Fenta; Anne M Fitzpatrick

doi:10.2147/JAA.S465550

Asthma Control and Associated Factors Among Children with Current Asthma - Findings from the 2019 Child Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System - Asthma Call-Back Survey

J Asthma Allergy. 2024 Jun 27:17:611-620. doi: 10.2147/JAA.S465550. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Bruck Messele Habte^#¹, Kebede A Beyene^#², Shivani A Patel³, Teferi Gedif Fenta¹, Anne M Fitzpatrick⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
² Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
³ Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁴ School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of uncontrolled asthma among children with current asthma in four US states. We also determined the rates and correlates of asthma-related hospitalization, urgent care center (UCC), or emergency department (ED) visits.

Participants and methods: We analyzed the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) Asthma Call-back Survey (ACBS) datasets. Asthma control status was classified as well-controlled or uncontrolled asthma based on day- and night-time asthma symptoms, activity limitation or use of rescue medications. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the correlates of uncontrolled asthma and asthma-related hospitalization or UCC/ED visits.

Results: Among 249 children with current asthma, 55.1% had uncontrolled asthma while 40% reported asthma-related hospitalization or UCC/ED visits in the past year. Non-Hispanic ethnicity, ages of 0-9 and 15-17 years, household income <$25,000, and not having a flu vaccination had higher odds of uncontrolled asthma. Conversely, asthma self-management education and households with two children compared to one were positively associated with uncontrolled asthma. For healthcare utilization, male and non-Hispanic children, along with those from households earning <$25,000 exhibited higher odds of asthma-related hospitalization and UCC/ED visits.

Conclusion: Uncontrolled asthma and asthma-related visits to UCC/ED and hospitalization are common among children with current asthma. These outcomes are influenced by low household income and male sex, among other factors which call for multi-faceted interventions by healthcare providers and policymakers. Targeted strategies to effectively manage asthma and reduce the need for emergency healthcare services are recommended.

Keywords: asthma control; current asthma; pediatrics asthma; uncontrolled asthma.

Grants and funding

BMH was a research fellow at the Rollins School of Public Health as part of the COALESCE program, which is a project funded by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43 TW011404 during the conception and conduct of this study. This study, however, did not receive any grant. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.