Executive Summary

Overview

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	Executive Summary

		Overview

		Frequency and Severity of Symptoms

		Acute Treatment of Asthma

		Personal Consequences of Asthma

		Unmet Standards of Care

		Parent-Child Communication Gap

		Widespread Misunderstanding

		Conclusion

		Missing the Mark

		Survey Methods

		Glossary

	National/Regional Survey Data



	Survey Slide Kit

Children and Asthma in America is a landmark survey of the current state of asthma and asthma management among children in the United States. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of knowledge, attitudes and behavior toward asthma in children in America. A survey of a national probability sample of 801 children, four to 18 years of age with current asthma was conducted.This sample was identified by systematically screening a geographically stratified national sample of 41,433 U.S. households by telephone, February to May 2004. Asthma is a serious lung disease and one of the most common chronic childhood illnesses, yet with proper long-term management asthma is a controllable disease. However, the Children and Asthma in America survey concludes that a significant number of children with asthma do not have their condition under control, falling far short of national treatment goals.

The survey found that nearly one out of 10 (9.2%)* American children 18 years of age and younger currently suffers from asthma (Figure 1). This figure is comparable to the most current estimate from the National Center for Health Statistics, which estimates that 8.8% of children 18 years of age and younger have the disease.With the latest U.S. Census data projecting 77.5 million children 0 to 18 in the United States, it can be estimated that there are approximately seven million children with asthma in America. The Children and Asthma in America survey focused on children four to 18 years of age with asthma, which represents about 5.8 million children in the country based on figures from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey.

Among respondents of the survey,** nearly 80% reported that their or their child’s asthma is well or completely controlled (Figure 2), yet asthma control in many of these children missed the mark on nearly every asthma management goal established by the National Institutes of Health (Expert Panel Report 2: Guidelines for Clinical Care, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [NHLBI]).

The survey yields six important observations about the current state of children with asthma in America.

Many children with asthma experience frequent and/or severe symptoms that indicate their asthma is not well controlled; additionally, parents tend to underestimate the frequency of their child’s symptoms, contributing to inaccurate perceptions of control

Poorly controlled asthma continues to cause a significant number of children to be hospitalized, go to the emergency room and seek other urgent care visits

Poorly controlled asthma also causes missed school days for children, lost work days for parents, activity avoidance and limitations and emotional burdens that interfere with the everyday lives of children and their families and often force them to accept a much lower quality of life

The current standards for ongoing monitoring of children with asthma, including follow-up healthcare professional visits, lung function testing and written action plans, lag far behind the treatment goals set by the NHLBI

A comparison of responses between parents and children 10 to 15 years of age about the frequency and severity of their child’s asthma symptoms indicate a communication gap within the family that may contribute to suboptimal asthma management ***

Finally, a widespread lack of understanding about asthma causes, treatment and symptom prevention remains a major obstacle to improved management of this condition

Children and Asthma in America is unique in providing an in-depth examination of asthma and asthma management among a large, national probability sample of children with asthma. Its national sample size is comparable to the largest government health assessment surveys, and it is believed to be the largest survey to explore disease burden, quality of life and asthma management among children. The survey also contains an unprecedented comparison of parent and child reporting of asthma symptoms and experiences (among the 10 to 15 year olds with asthma in the national sample).

The survey was conducted by the national public opinion research organization Schulman, Ronca and Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI) on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline.

* This estimate is almost identical to the 8.8% current asthma prevalence from the most recently available data from the National Health Interview Survey (2002).

** Eighty-five percent of people interviewed were either the parent or the caregiver most knowledgeable about the designated child with asthma in the household. The remaining 15% represents children 16 to 18 years of age who were interviewed exclusively about their asthma.

*** In addition to the main interview with parents, children 10 to 15 years of age were interviewed with the permission of the parent. Eighty percent of the eligible children participated.