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Summary of Findings
- Of 863 schools with grades K-5, 698 participated
in this study, which represents 81 percent.
- Based on information from school nurses,
9.7 percent of K-5 students in Connecticut
have asthma.
- Asthma affects more students in urban communities
than in suburban and rural communities.
- While urban status appears dominant, socioeconomic
status significantly affects asthma rates in
communities. Children in poorer communities
have higher rates of asthma than those in more
affluent communities, even in rural areas of
the state.
- School nurses have multiple sources of information
about the health of students, can provide important
information regarding asthma rates at a local
level, and can play a role in developing a
statewide and national asthma tracking system.
- While the causes of asthma are complex, involving
multiple personal, home, and community factors,
schools themselves may provide environments
that can contain risk factors for asthma:
- A majority of schools with grades K-5
in Connecticut have difficulties with
water incursion into their buildings;
- Over half of the schools renovate their
buildings while students are present. Construction
practices may increase asthma risk if guidelines
for renovations during building occupancy
are not implemented.
- The statewide rate of asthma estimated here,
9.7 percent, is higher than the rate estimated
in a prior study conducted by Environment and
Human Health, Inc. In 1999, the rate was estimated
to be 7.8 percent among elementary school students.
This change may reflect:
- The fact that school nurses were surveyed
later in the school year;
- Increased recognition of asthma among
students by physicians, parents, and school
nurses; or
- An increasing rate of asthma among elementary
students in Connecticut.
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