In 2002, 7.6% of Delaware residents age 18 and older said they have asthma. The survey asks two questions: 1) Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you have asthma? 2) Do you still have asthma? The prevalence rate is based on those who report they still have asthma. The Delaware BRFSS began collecting prevalence data on asthma in 2001, so no trend data is available.

Almost 12% of the adult population have been told at some time that they had asthma. More women (14%) than men (9.3%) have been told they have asthma. It is most prevalent among 18-24 year olds (15%); and African Americans (13.2%) are more likely to have been told they have asthma than whites (11.7%).

• Among adults who say they still have asthma, about 23% say they have visited an emergency room or urgent care center during the past year because of their asthma.
• About 24% visited a doctor or health professional during the past year for treatment of worsening asthma symptoms.
• 68.5% saw a doctor in the past year for a routine checkup related to their asthma.
• 17% reported that they were unable to work or carry out usual activities because of their asthma for 1 to 10 days during the past year. Another 2.5% reported 11-30 days in the past year that they were unable to work.
• Of those people who said they still have asthma, only about 7% reported having asthma symptoms every day during the past month.
• 25% said they are not taking any prescribed medication for their asthma.

Childhood Asthma

All respondents with children in the 2002 survey were asked, "How many children under age 18 living in your household have ever been diagnosed with asthma?"

• 15.5% of parents reported one child in the household who had been diagnosed with asthma at some time.
• Another 2.3% reported two or more children diagnosed with asthma.

Source: Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2002.