asthma:youth who have been diagnosed - Thurston County

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include cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust, mold, pet dander and pollen. ... Asian. Percent of Youth Diagnosed with As
ASTHMA: YOUTH WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED ISSUE Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways causing symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and trouble breathing. When you experience a serious worsening of asthma symptoms, it is called an asthma attack. Asthma attacks are not all the same and some are worse than others. People can be hospitalized or die from severe asthma attacks. (1) Asthma affects people of all ages, but usually starts during childhood. Asthma cannot be cured, but for most people it can be controlled. People with asthma can live an active lifestyle and have only minimal infrequent symptoms. (1)  Regular care from a health care provider and following treatment recommendations are essential in the control of asthma.  Avoiding things that make asthma worse and reducing exposure to triggers (things that can irritate the lungs) can help reduce the severity or frequency of asthma attacks. Examples of triggers include cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust, mold, pet dander and pollen.

FINDINGS 

In 2010, about 1 in 5 Thurston County 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders had been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lifetime. (2)

Percent of Youth Diagnosed with Asthma at Some Point in Their Lifetime by Grade in School, Thurston County and Washington State 2010 (2) 30% 25% 20%

22%

21%

19%

19%

19%

19%

17% 14%

15% 10% 5% 0% Thurston 6th graders

WA State 8th graders

10th graders

12th graders

THURSTON | Community Health Assessment Data Series 2012 Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department

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DETAILED DATA 

During the past decade asthma rates among Thurston County youth have remained similar.

Percent of Youth Diagnosed with Asthma at Some Point in Their Lifetime by Grade in School, Thurston County 2002-2010 (2) 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 6th graders



2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

15%

13%

15%

14%

17%

8th graders

20%

21%

19%

21%

19%

10th graders

20%

21%

20%

21%

22%

12th graders

19%

23%

21%

21%

21%

Being diagnosed with asthma varies somewhat in rural and urban Thurston County school districts.

Percent of Youth Diagnosed with Asthma at Some Point in Their Lifetime by Rural or Urban School District Enrollment, Thurston County 2006-2010 Combined (2) 30% 25% 25%

23% 21%

20%

20%

21%

18%

15%

10%

5%

0% Rural

Urban

8th graders

10th graders

12th graders

THURSTON | Community Health Assessment Data Series 2012 Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department

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Among Thurston County 10th graders, being diagnosed with asthma varies by race and ethnicity.

Percent of Youth Diagnosed with Asthma at Some Point in Their Lifetime by Race or Ethnicity, Thurston County 10th Graders 2006-2010 Combined (2) 17%

Asian

19%

Black

21%

White

23%

Hispanic

26%

NH/OPI

29%

AIAN

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

NH/OPI = Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander AIAN = American Indian and Alaska Native



About 1 in 4 Thurston County 8th and 10th graders with asthma missed school or usual activities because of their asthma.

Percent of Youth with Asthma who Missed One or More Days of School or Usual Activities due to Asthma during the Past Year, Thurston County 8th and 10th Graders 2006-2010 Combined (2) 100% 23%

25%

77%

75%

8th graders

10th graders

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

No Days

1 or More Days

THURSTON | Community Health Assessment Data Series 2012 Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department

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CITATIONS (1) What is Asthma? 2012. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/ (2) Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) Data. 2002-2010. Washington State Department of Health. Prepared by Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department.

NOTES − −

− −

Diagnosed with asthma (lifetime asthma) = an answer of yes to the survey question “Has a doctor or nurse (or other health care professional) ever told you that you have asthma?” Missed school = an answer of 1 or more days to the survey question “During the past 12 months, how many days did you stay out of school or stay away from your usual activities because of your asthma?” Figures exclude youth who do not have asthma and those who did not know how many days they had missed in the past year. 6th graders are usually age 11-12, 8th graders age 13-14, 10th graders age 15-16 and 12th graders age 17-18. Rural school district = Griffin, Rainier, Rochester, Tenino and Yelm. Urban school district = North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater.

MORE INFORMATION 

Mary Ann O’Garro, Epidemiologist, 360-867-2525, [email protected], www.co.thurston.wa.us/health

THURSTON | Community Health Assessment Data Series 2012 Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department

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