info@ehhi.org

Research Areas

Survey Finds an "Epidemic" Rate of Asthma among Connecticut's School-Age Children

Press Release

Asthma in Children

The Connecticut based environmental organization, Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) conducted a survey in the year 2000, in Connecticut public schools that revealed asthma to be of epidemic proportions among the state's school-age population.

By surveying school nurses in 138 of Connecticut's 169 school districts, EHHI found that the Connecticut school-age population has an asthma prevalence rate of 8.7 percent, or 1 out of 11 school children in Connecticut have doctor diagnosed asthma. The data was collected from 83 percent of Connecticut's school-age population, a total of 513,688 children.

In the report, "A Survey of the Prevalence of Asthma Among School Age Children in Connecticut," the researchers noted that while asthma is of epidemic proportions across Connecticut, there is no appreciable difference in the rate of asthma among children from urban, suburban, or rural communities. There does seem to be some correlation with income, however: Windham, the state's poorest county has the highest asthma rate.

Before this study was done, asthma prevalence rates were mainly tracked through hospital emergency room visits and hospital admittance, which resulted in skewed and incomplete data. Children living in the inner-city, where hospital emergency rooms are often used for primary care, were counted, while patients seeing private health care providers were not.

Based on this research project which was the largest of its kind in Connecticut and perhaps the nation, EHHI recommends that Connecticut, as well as other states, adopt an asthma tracking system for school age populations which would involve the cooperation of school nurses.

In July, 2001, thanks largely to the efforts of EHHI, Connecticut became one of the first states in the nation to enact a law mandating such tracking.

The asthma prevalence data, when collected, will provide researchers and policy makers with the information they need to help understand a disease that is becoming more prevalent across the country. EHHI provided a model for tracking asthma prevalence rates among school-age children in its report which other states can easily replicate and adopt.

© EHHI | 1191 Ridge Road North Haven, Connecticut 06473 | Phone: (203) 248-6582 | Fax: (203) 288-7571 | info@ehhi.org