Undiagnosed asthma in El Paso, Texas: An assessment of acculturation indicators, burden of illness and healthcare service use on children's respiratory distress
Abstract
The prevalence of diagnosed asthma among Hispanic children in this sample of 4th and 5th grade students at El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) was higher (15%) than both national (7.8%) and state (6.8%) estimates for Hispanic children. The prevalence of possible undiagnosed asthma (8%) combined with the prevalence of diagnosed asthma (15%) suggests that almost a quarter of this population is experiencing some kind of respiratory distress. Models comparing unidimensional (nativity and language) and multidimensional (CLSI acculturation scale) measures of acculturation with asthma status (no wheezing/asthma symptoms, possible undiagnosed asthma, diagnosed asthma) revealed significantly higher odds of possible undiagnosed asthma among children of Mexican Origin. Among children with a history of wheezing in the last 12-months, children with possible undiagnosed asthma are using medication to treat acute episodes of wheezing, whereas children with diagnosed asthma are using preventive asthma medications.
Subject Area
Public health|Epidemiology
Recommended Citation
Sianez, Monica R, "Undiagnosed asthma in El Paso, Texas: An assessment of acculturation indicators, burden of illness and healthcare service use on children's respiratory distress" (2015). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI3736814.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI3736814