CHEST Guidelines-Ethnic-Variation-in-Asthma-Prevalence-Across-Child

Ethnic-Variation-in-Asthma-Prevalence-Across-Child

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The study examines asthma prevalence among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) children, comparing it across various ethnic subgroups and age stages, revealing important variations. Typically, asthma prevalence is lower among Asian children as a whole, but previous studies and current findings highlight certain Asian subgroups with significantly higher rates. Using electronic health records from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, the study analyzed data from a cohort of children aged 5-17 years, collected from 2016-2019. The analysis focused on four major AAPI subgroups: Filipino, Chinese, South Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) children.<br /><br />The results showed that Filipino children had the highest asthma prevalence among the AAPI group, similar to Black children. During middle childhood and preteen years, South Asian and NHPI children also had higher asthma rates compared to non-Hispanic White children, but these rates decreased during adolescence. Chinese children showed similar rates to non-Hispanic Whites in early childhood but had a significantly lower prevalence during adolescence. Notably, higher asthma prevalence was associated with higher BMI and male sex, consistent with broader pediatric asthma trends.<br /><br />The study demonstrates marked racial and ethnic differences within Asian groups, emphasizing that asthma among AAPI populations is not homogeneous. These findings underscore the importance of tailored public health strategies and interventions. The research also points to the need for further exploration of social, cultural, and environmental factors that might contribute to the asthma burden in these populations, particularly among Filipino children. The study highlights the necessity for further investigation into asthma severity and persistence across different ethnic subgroups to effectively guide prevention and treatment strategies.

Keywords

asthma prevalence

Asian American

Pacific Islander

ethnic subgroups

Kaiser Permanente

Filipino children

pediatric asthma

public health strategies

BMI

asthma severity