Asthma Prevalence among Children
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Asthma is one of the common chronic diseases in New Mexico, with an estimated 30,000 children currently having the disease. People with asthma are more likely to miss school or work, report feelings of depression, and experience an overall reduced quality of life. Asthma is also costly, with expenses from routine checkups, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and medications putting a significant burden on families, the health care sector, and the economy. Though it cannot be cured, asthma can be controlled through quality health care, appropriate medications, and good self-management skills. When asthma is controlled, people with the disease have few, if any, symptoms, and can live normal and productive lives. Asthma is frequently diagnosed in childhood. Sometimes asthma symptoms may go dormant for a number of years only to return later in adulthood. Given this complexity, two prevalence measures are helpful in assessing the disease burden: Lifetime prevalence (if an individual has ever been diagnosed as having asthma) and Current prevalence (if the individual reports he or she still has asthma).
Definition
The estimated proportion of New Mexico children 17 years of age or younger with diagnosed asthma.
Data Sources
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/ibeb/brfss/) - U.S. data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence and Trends Data.
(https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | LIFETIME PREVALENCE: Estimated number of New Mexico children whose parent responded, "yes" (within the survey year) to the BRFSS question: "Have you ever been told by a doctor that your child has asthma?". CURRENT PREVALENCE: Estimated number of New Mexico children whose parent responded, "yes" (within the survey year) to the BRFSS question: "Does your child still have asthma?" |
| Denominator: | Number of New Mexico children whose parent responded to the BRFSS within the survey year. |
How Are We Doing?
Since 2003, the lifetime prevalence rate in New Mexico has remained consistent. Current prevalence estimates have not been consistent enough to discern a trend.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
In 2021, the New Mexico lifetime child asthma prevalence rate (8.9%) was lower than the U.S. rate (10.2%). During the same year, the New Mexico current child asthma prevalence rate (6.3%) was similar to the U.S. rate (6.5%).
What Is Being Done?
The New Mexico Department of Health Asthma Control Program collects, analyzes, and disseminates asthma data in order to identify populations that have a high burden of asthma. The Asthma Control Program also works with partners throughout the state (such as hospitals, physician groups, insurance plans, and schools) to design and implement health interventions to lessen the disease burden. Current interventions include providing asthma self-management education to pediatric patients, supporting indoor air quality assessments of homes to limit exposures to potential asthma triggers, and offering provider training on the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) asthma medical guidelines.
Evidence-based Practices
Asthma and its symptoms can be controlled and related impairments or hospitalizations can be prevented. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NAEPP of the National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have issued guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. These guidelines translated advances in scientific and clinical research into practical advice for people with asthma, for the health care providers who look after them, and for the communities where they live.
Available Services
The New Mexico Asthma Control Program, funded entirely through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control, supports health intervention activities aimed at increasing asthma awareness in the state, improving asthma self-management through patient education initiatives, and providing health care provider training on the latest National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Asthma Guidelines for medical practice. The Asthma Control Program works with partners (e.g., hospitals, physicians, insurance plans, and schools) throughout the state to design and implement health interventions to lessen asthma burden, especially in areas of asthma disparities. Current interventions include providing asthma self-management education to pediatric patients and training Community Health Workers for home visits with people with asthma to assist them in identifying and eliminating irritants and triggers from the house. For more information about the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program's (NAEPP) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/guidelines/current/asthma-guidelines New Mexico Asthma Control Program Information For information about the Asthma Control Program in New Mexico visit https://nmhealth.org/about/erd/eheb/ap/ Asthma Control Program, New Mexico Department of Health, P.O. Box 26110, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Suite N1300, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
More Resources
New Mexico Asthma Control Program. https://nmhealth.org/about/erd/eheb/ap/ State Strategic Asthma Plan. https://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/plan/6655/ NM Council on Asthma. https://www.nmasthma.org/ Breathing Easier. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/breathing_easier_brochure.pdf CDC Asthma. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.htm New Mexico Environmental Public Health Tracking https://nmtracking.org/health/breathing/Asthma.html
Health Program Information
Asthma Control Program, New Mexico Department of Health, P.O. Box 26110, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Suite N1300, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Srikanth Paladugu, MBBS, MPH, MBA, Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau Chief, (505) 476-3549 (M,W,F); (505) 841-5893 (T,Th), Paladugu, Srikanth, DOH <Srikanth.Paladugu@state.nm.us>.