The prevalence of asthma risk and contributing factors in underserved Vietnamese children in Orange County, CA

Abstract

Objectives: Vietnamese constitutes one of the fastest growing minority groups in America, with the largest concentration in Orange County (OC), CA. Yet, there are limited data on the prevalence of asthma in Vietnamese children. Our study evaluated the risk of asthma and key contributing factors among these children living in OC, CA. Method: Five elementary schools in OC that were predominantly Vietnamese with low socioeconomic status were selected for participation. Validated surveys were sent to parents of all students ages 3–12 in these schools with materials available in English, Vietnamese and Spanish. Surveys included questions to identify the risk of asthma and related key factors. Surveys were completed by parents and returned to schools. Results: There were 1530 participants eligible for analysis. Asthma risk was 30.4%, and of these, 22.6% had no prior diagnosis. Contributing factors to identification of those at risk were male gender (p < 0.001), preferred use of the Vietnamese language (p = 0.004), longer duration in the United States (p = 0.019), and smoker in the household (p = 0.015). Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma risk in our community of low socioeconomic status Vietnamese children was found to be higher than commonly appreciated. Furthermore, a considerable number of these children had not been previously diagnosed. Given the limited information in this population, our current findings of asthma risk and key contributing factors could affect health care policies that allow appropriate funding for programs dedicated to asthma care in this and other growing population.

• Duration in the United States
• health care policies
• language
• low socioeconomic status
• minority
• prior diagnosis
• smoker
• surveys

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the staff (principals, teachers, and school liaisons) of the participating schools for their support and assistance in data collection; they would also like to recognize all Vietnamese Children Asthma Project steering committee members for their invaluable contributions to the success of the project. Finally, the authors would like to thank the community members who took the time to complete the survey tools and provided the data for this study.

Declaration of interest

The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.