Asthma inhaler use and barriers in a population-based sample of African-American and white adolescents.

BACKGROUND

There is little information on inhaler medication and barriers to use among a population-based sample of adolescents and whether possible variations in asthma treatment by ethnic group exist.

OBJECTIVE

We describe the prevalence of inhaler use and identify barriers for proper use of asthma medication in a population-based sample of adolescents of which 34% are African-American.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey using the ISAAC (International Survey of Asthma and Allergies in Children) questionnaire was conducted in a school population-based sample (n = 2056) of 13 to 14-year-old eight grade students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina public school system. Questions were asked about symptom prevalence, asthma diagnosis, inhaler use, and barriers to care.

RESULTS

Fourteen percent of the children (296/2056) reported using an inhaler in the last 12 months with no differences among African-American children and white children. Twenty-six percent of inhaler users were not allowed to carry their medication on their person while at school. Girls were more likely to be allowed to carry their inhalers at school and diagnosed asthmatic girls had a higher prevalence of wheezing in the last year (47%) compared with diagnosed asthmatic boys (35%). Smoking prevalence was higher in inhaler users (26%) compared to the study population (19%).

CONCLUSIONS

Inhaler use is high in this population. Adolescents using inhalers need to reduce their smoking levels. Schools need to reevaluate their policies on the use of inhalers at school.