 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Sebastian Bonner, PhD1, Thomas Matte, MD1, Joanne Fagan, PhD2, Ilan Myer, PhD3, Jennifer Ahern, MPH1, and David Evans, PhD4. (1) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, Fifth floor, New York, NY 10029, 212-822-7281, sbonner@nyam.org, (2) Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 118 Essex Avenue, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028, (3) Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, (4) Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, 60 Haven Avenue, B-116, New York, NY 10032
Recent studies have shown underuse of asthma controller medications among children in populations of increased asthma morbidity. As part of an intervention study, we examined baseline asthma morbidity and medical management among children aged 3-5 at 10 preschool centers in East and Central Harlem, NYC. We interviewed 149 parents/guardians of enrolled children after their child was classified through a respiratory questionnaire as having current or possible asthma based on physician’s diagnosis, recurrent symptoms, hospitalization, and medication. Of these, 87 (58.4% [95% CI=50.0-66.4]) reported that their child had one or more of the following events related to asthma or respiratory symptoms: an emergency department visit, hospitalization, or asthma attack requiring oral steroids. We classified 74 of the 149 children (49.7% [95% CI=41.4-58.0]) as having current persistent asthma based on frequency of respiratory symptoms in the last 14 days and/or short-acting bronchodilator use in the last 4 weeks. Of those children, only 13 (17.6% [95% CI=9.7-28.2]) were reported to use controller medications at least 5 days/week in the last 4 weeks – 12 of them using cromolyn sodium and only 1 using inhaled corticosteroids. By contrast, 48 children (64.9% [95% CI=52.9-75.6]) were reported to have used oral bronchodilators in the last 4 weeks, medications not included in national guidelines for the prevention and control of asthma. We found a reliance on oral bronchodilators in a population where the impact of asthma is great and appropriate asthma controllers are underutilized. The impact of oral bronchodilator use on asthma management and control merits further study.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to
Keywords: Asthma, Head Start
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.