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Asthma self-management education among youths and adults--United States, 2003.

Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory disease and major cause of morbidity in the United States. However, with appropriate medication, medical care, and self-management, most asthma symptoms are preventable. Recent evidence indicates that asthma self-management education is effective in improving outcomes of chronic asthma. Guidelines issued by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) specify essential components of asthma management, including patient education, objective monitoring of symptoms, and avoiding asthma triggers. Healthy People 2010 objectives include increasing the proportion of persons with asthma who receive formal patient education from 8% to 30% (objective 24-6) and who receive care according to NAEPP guidelines (objective 24-7). The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) routinely includes questions that assess asthma status. In 2003, the survey included a series of questions designed to reflect clinical best practices for asthma and to serve as a baseline assessment for progress toward national respiratory health objectives. These questions have not been repeated in any NHIS since 2003 but are scheduled to be included in the 2008 NHIS. To characterize asthma education among youths and adults with current asthma by selected demographic characteristics, CDC analyzed data from the 2003 NHIS. This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the prevalence of asthma education varied by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and health insurance status. The findings also suggest that a substantial proportion of youths and adults with current asthma lack the education necessary for effective self-management and control of asthma symptoms.