Self-reported asthma prevalence and control in a population-based cohort of Australian school students aged 10–14 years

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Abstract
The prevalence of asthma in Australian children is one of the highest in the world, as reported by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.1 Poorly controlled asthma has an increased risk of future exacerbations, emergency attendances and poor quality of life, and is a leading cause of school absenteeism and poor academic outcomes. We sought to examine the prevalence and control of asthma in Australian adolescents. From 2011 to 2014 a population-based, cross-sectional, stratified, cluster sampling of primary and secondary school students in greater metropolitan Melbourne was used to recruit a sample of students aged 10–14 years as part of the SchoolNuts study. Of the 229 schools contacted, 117 (51.1%) participated in the study. Among the 20 965 eligible students in the participating schools, a questionnaire which included questions on asthma and asthma control was completed by 9663 (46.1%) students.2 The prevalence of self-reported asthma ever was 26.9% (95% CI 26.0 to 27.8) and self-reported current asthma …
Funding Information
  • National Health and Medical Research Council