If a child had had symptoms on 27 or more days, or seven or more nights, in a 90-day season, he or she was considered to be in "peak" or persistent asthma symptoms during that time -- a definition laid out by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Most of the children -- 84 percent -- in the study had peaks in none, one, two or three seasons of the past year. But 16 percent of the children had peaks in all four seasons -- meaning they were experiencing symptoms nearly one-third of the entire year regardless of what seasonal triggers might be present.
Two-thirds of the children in the study were boys, and 12 percent were African-American. The mean age was around 7, and 61 percent used some sort of daily medication to control their asthma. More than 90 percent of the parents interviewed were mothers. Parents were asked directly if they smoked, and 13 percent answered yes.
Three-quarters of the households had private insurance, while 14 percent were insured through Medicaid. The remainder had other government insurance or paid for healthcare themselves. Just over 40 percent of the children lived in temperate climates, where differences between seasons were not dramatic.
When the researchers performed a statistical analysis to look at which factors were most associated with year-round symptoms, Medicaid status and parental smoking both were linked to a more-than-doubled likelihood.
The researchers hope to continue their evaluation of parental smoking behavior as the PACE project continues, and follow-up interviews with parents take place after their children's doctors receive training in evidence-based asthma care and patient communication.
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Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
4-May-2004