Back to Top ↑
!We see that you are viewing this website on Internet Explorer 10 or older.
To get the best possible experience while using our website, we recommend that you upgrade your browser to Google Chrome.

Asthma

Indicator #16: Asthma Prevalence

Indicator 16:  Asthma prevalence, by age and sex, expressed as a percentage.g 

 

 

Jump to Figure Notes and Sources

 

Key Messages

  • Asthma is a "chronic inflammatory disease of the airway" that causes symptoms including shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing, and wheezing.1
  • Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children2 and is a leading cause of missed school days and hospital visits.3
  • Asthma symptoms and episodes of severe shortness of breath can be triggered by exposure to allergens, environmental irritants, viral infections, exercise, and strong emotions.3,4,5
  • Poor asthma control,h,6,7 can negatively impact a person’s overall quality of life, impacting their ability to participate in sports, school, and other recreational activities.4,8
  • In Canada in 1998/99, there was a higher percentage of asthma among children age 0–19 compared to adults, as well as a higher percentage seen in male children age 0–19 compared to female children the same age.4
  • The overall average asthma prevalence for Canada is 8 per cent for youth age 12 and up.9
  • Figure 16.1 shows that in BC, the total prevalence rate for asthma among children and youth age 5–19 for 2012/13 was 10.9 per cent, which is a decline from a persistent peak of 11.2 per cent from 2006/07 to 2010/11.
  • Figures 16.2 and 16.3 show variation by health authority and health service delivery area.

g. While the original indicator specified analyses by age, this indicator has been examined for age 5–19 as a group at this time. Future analyses may further explore the impact of age within this indicator.

h. According to the Canadian Thoracic Society 2012 guideline update, whether asthma is being controlled depends upon a person’s frequency of symptoms, his/her ability to participate in physical activity, the frequency of exacerbations, days missed at school or work, and measure of lung function.6 Other definitions also include future risk for asthma symptoms or progression of loss of pulmonary function.7

 

Figure Notes and Sources

Figure 16.1

Data source: BC Ministry of Health, Population Health Surveillance and Epidemiology, Chronic Disease Registry, 2000/01 to 2012/13. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
 

Figure 16.2

Note: Health authority is based on the residence of the child.

Data source: BC Ministry of Health, Population Health Surveillance and Epidemiology, Chronic Disease Registry, 2012/13. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
 

Figure 16.3

Note: Health service delivery area is based on the residence of the child.

Data source: BC Ministry of Health, Population Health Surveillance and Epidemiology, Chronic Disease Registry, 2012/13. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.

 

References

  1. Asthma Society of Canada. About asthma: what is asthma? [Internet]. Toronto, ON; Asthma Society of Canada; [updated 2016 Apr; cited 2016 Apr 6]. Available from: http://www.asthma.ca/adults/about/whatIsAsthma.php.
  2. H. Krueger & Associates. Child and youth health and well-being indicators project: appendix F – physical health and well-being evidence review [prepared for the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the Canadian Institute for Health Information]. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Institute for Health Information; 2011.
  3. US National Library of Medicine. Asthma - children [Internet]. MedlinePlus. Bethesda, MD: US National Library of Medicine; 2012 [updated 2015 Apr 21; cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000990.htm.
  4. Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Lung Association, Health Canada, Statistics Canada. Respiratory disease in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada; 2001 Sep [cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from: https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/RespiratoryComplete.pdf.
  5. Ducharme FM, Dell SD, Radhakrishnan D, Grad RM, Watson WTA, Yang CL, et al. Diagnosis and management of asthma in preschoolers: a Canadian Thoracic Society and Canadian Paediatric Society position paper. Paediatr Child Health. 2015 Oct;20(7):353-71.
  6. Canadian Thoracic Society. Canadian respiratory guidelines. 2012 guidelines update: diagnosis and management of asthma in preschoolers, children and adults. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Thoracic Society; 2012 [cited 2016 Jun 22]. Available from: http://www.respiratoryguidelines.ca/2012-cts-guideline-asthma-update.
  7. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Asthma control: keep it going [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; [updated 2013 Jan; cited 2016 Jun 22]. Available from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/resources/lung/naci/discover/asthma….
  8. National Asthma Control Task Force. The prevention and management of asthma in Canada. Ontario: National Asthma Control Task Force; 2000. Available from: http://publications.gc.ca/site/archivee-archived.html?url=http://public….
  9. Statistics Canada. Asthma, 2014. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada; [modified 2015 Nov 27; cited 2016 Apr 6]. Available from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2015001/article/14179-eng.htm.