Advantages of Video Questionnaire in Estimating Asthma Prevalence and Risk Factors for School Children: Findings From an Asthma Survey in American Indian Youth

Abstract

Objectives. The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of asthma among a sample of American Indian youth and to evaluate survey instruments used in determining asthma prevalence and risk factors. Methods. Three hundred and fifty-two adolescents aged 9 to 21 years enrolled in an Indian boarding school completed an asthma screening. The survey instruments were a written questionnaire and a video-illustrated questionnaire prepared from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), school health records, and a health questionnaire. Participants also underwent spirometry testing. Results. The prevalence of self-reported asthma varied from 12.7% to 13.4% depending upon the instrument used and the questions asked. A history of hay fever, respiratory infections, and family history of asthma were found to be risk factors for asthma by all instruments. Female gender and living on a reservation were significantly associated with asthma by some, but not all, instruments. Airway obstruction was highly associated with one asthma symptom (wheeze) shown in the video questionnaire. Associations for most risk factors with asthma were strongest for the video questionnaire. Conclusions. The prevalence of self-reported asthma among these American Indian youth was similar to rates reported for other ethnic groups. The video-based questionnaire may be the most sensitive tool for identifying individuals at risk for asthma.

Keywords :

• American Indian
• asthma
• adolescents
• minority
• risk factors
• screening
• spirometry

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Cooperative Agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors thank Dr. Barbara Neas and Dr. Charles Hays for assistance in designing this study. The authors also acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the staff and faculty of the school and the staff of the local Indian Health Service facility. The authors also thank Mrs. Stephanie Gomez, LPN, for conducting the pulmonary function tests, and Dr. Carl Schaefer and Dr. Jeunliang Yeh, University of Oklahoma College of Public Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for their suggestions in preparing the manuscript. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Indian Health Service.