528 Elevated Asthma Prevalence in Mexican-American Children in El Paso, Texas

BACKGROUND: In the United States, among Hispanics, Mexican American have the lowest rate of asthma(1,2) This study was designed to determine the prevalence of asthma among 5 to 17 year-old children, in El Paso Texas, a community area with a 65.8 % of Hispanic of origin Mexican families. METHODS: Of March 2006 to May 2010, a cross-sectional screening survey was administered to 1108 children of 751 families selected at random from 50 strata of the El Paso County. We used self-reported history of physician-diagnosed asthma. Data were analyzed to determine the prevalence of lifetime and current asthma. Associations between asthma outcomes and variable trigger were evaluated. Chi-square tests were used for statistical comparison. A P value less than 0.05 was considered to be significant. Multivariate logistic regression (GENMOD) adjusting for repeated measures for the family was used to determine the risk of childhood asthma. RESULTS: Self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma was reported for 25.8 % of children, and current asthma identified in 20.5 % respectively. The prevalence was statistically higher in boys than tin girls (P < 0.05). 243 (90%) Children asthmatics are atopic and 437 (51.8%) children non-asthmatics are atopic. Smoking occurred inside 23.8% of households.26.3% of children had an indoor dog or cat and 21.2% of caregivers reported cockroaches inside the home. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma in Hispanic of Mexican origin, ever asthma and current asthma, were higher than those reported from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of asthma in 2007. Although most children with asthma are atopic (90%) a significant proportion (51.8 %) of atopic children do not have asthma. Children with a parent with asthma were almost twice as likely (OR = 2.40) to have asthma compared those without a parent with asthma. Children with a parent and grandparent with asthma were over 4 times likely to have asthma compared to those without a parent and grandparent with asthma (OR = 4.97). Maternal asthma confers greater asthma risk to offspring than do paternal or parental asthma.