Skip Navigation LinksSkip Navigation Links
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC Home Search Health Topics A-Z
MMWR
spacer
spacer

Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.

QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged <18 Years Who Currently Have Asthma,* by Race/Ethnicity† and Poverty Status,§ National Health Interview Survey --- United States, 2003--2005

* Determined by positive responses to the following two questions: "Has a physician or other health professional ever told you that your child has asthma?" and "Does your child still have asthma?" Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.

† Data are shown for two Hispanic subpopulations (Puerto Rican and Mexican American) because these groups have adequate sample sizes to provide stable estimates. Estimates for other Hispanic subpopulations are not reliable.

§ Poor is defined as annual household income <100% of the poverty threshold, near poor as 100%--199%, and nonpoor as >200%, based on U.S. Bureau of the Census thresholds. For example, in 2004, for a family of four (two adults and two children aged <18 years), the poverty threshold was $19,157, and poverty status levels were as follows: poor: <$19,157; near poor: $19,157--$38,314; nonpoor: >$38,315.

95% confidence interval.

During 2003--2005, Puerto Rican children overall had a higher prevalence of asthma than Mexican-American, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black children. Differences in poverty status did not explain the disparities for Puerto Rican and non-Hispanic black children, two populations that had higher asthma rates than non-Hispanic white and Mexican-American children regardless of poverty status. The reason for the higher rate among Puerto Rican children overall is unknown.

SOURCES: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey, 2003--2005; Health data for all ages. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/health_data_for_all_ages.htm.

Lara M, Akinbami L, Flores G, Morgenstern H. Heterogeneity of childhood asthma among Hispanic children: Puerto Rican children bear a disproportionate burden. Pediatrics 2006;117:43--53.

Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of the date of publication.

Disclaimer   All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.

**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.

Date last reviewed: 2/7/2007

spacer

HOME  |  ABOUT MMWR  |  MMWR SEARCH  |  DOWNLOADS  |  RSSCONTACT
POLICY  |  DISCLAIMER  |  ACCESSIBILITY

spacer
spacer

Safer, Healthier People

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd, MailStop E-90, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A

USA.GovDHHS

Department of Health
and Human Services