Asthma - The Office of Minority Health

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Asthma and American Indians/Alaska Natives

In 2015, 240,000 American Indian/Native American adults reported that they currently have asthma.
American Indian/Alaska Native children are 60% more likely to have asthma as non-Hispanic white children.
Data on asthma conditions for American Indian/Alaska Natives is limited.
While all of the causes of asthma remain unclear, children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke exposure are at increased risk for acute lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchitis. Children living below or near the poverty level are more likely to have high levels of blood cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine, than children living in higher income families.

Diagnosed

**Percentage of asthma among persons 18 years of age and over, ever being told they had asthma, 2015**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
17.1	13.5	1.3

Source: CDC 2017. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2015. Table A-2.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

**Percent of current asthma prevalence, adults ages 18 and over, 2014**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
10.0	7.9	1.3

Source: CDC 2016. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2015. Table A-2.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

**Percentage of adults 18 years of age and over with asthma, 2004-2008**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
14.2	11.6	1.2

Source: CDC 2010. Health characteristics of the American Indian or Alaska Native adult population:
United States, 2004-2008, Table 4.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr020.pdf [PDF | 304.26KB]

Death Rate

**Deaths per 100,000, with asthma as the underlying cause, National Vital Statistics System, 2014**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
1.1	0.9	1.2

Source: CDC 2016. Deaths: Final Data for 2014. Table 16 and Table 17.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr65/nvsr64_04.pdf [PDF | 4.38MB]

Treatment

The most recent National Health Interview Survey does not include data for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Children

**Age-adjusted percentages for children under 18 years of age, ever being told they had asthma, 2015**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
12.5	11.7	1.1

Source: CDC 2017. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2015. Table C-1.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

**Age-adjusted percentages for children under 18 years of age, who currently have asthma, 2015**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
11.5	7.3	1.6

Source: CDC 2017. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2015. Table C-1.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

**Asthma prevalence among children 0-17 years of age, 2003-2005**
American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	American Indian/Alaska Native Non-Hispanic White Ratio
9.9	8.0	1.2

Source: CDC 2006. The State of Childhood Asthma, United States, 1980-2005. Table B.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad381.pdf [PDF | 365KB]

Last Modified: 3/13/2017 3:35:00 PM

Office of Minority Health
Phone: 240-453-2882

Office of Minority Health Resource Center
Toll Free: 1-800-444-6472 / Fax: 301-251-2160
Email: info@minorityhealth.hhs.gov

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