DCHD Reports: “Asthma is Becoming an Epidemic in Duval County”

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February 7, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Duval County Health Department’s Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research has released a comprehensive report of its research on asthma, categorizing it as a major public health problem in Duval County. The report provides overall data about community cost burden, gender, racial and age disparities, death rates and needed prevention efforts, as they relate to Asthma.

Already one of the most common chronic illnesses and leading cause of school absenteeism and hospitalization in children nationally, asthma is quickly becoming a growing epidemic with severe implications for Duval County.

According to 2005 data from the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), asthma hospitalization cost, which can often be considered unnecessary due to the preventable nature of acute asthma attacks that are responsible for hospitalizations, totaled $17,776,710 in Duval County. The total cost for asthma related emergency room visits was $7,670,314.

”Our community is continually incurring tremendous economic burden because we are not effectively and proactively implementing preventive efforts against asthma, “said Dr. William Livingood, Director of DCHD Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research. “Getting control of the Asthma epidemic in Duval County will require individual, health care and public health collaboration through education and prevention.”

The disease hits some groups particularly hard. For instance, the asthma related death rate for females is 227% higher than for males. Combining races and gender reveals even greater disparities, with the rate of black females being 59% higher than white females. Differences also exist across age groups. Black children between the ages of 5-14 accounted for 18% of all asthma related ER visits, compared with whites of the same age group accounting for 5.1% of all visits.

“Our surveillance for asthma must become proactive if we hope to have any impact on decreasing the social and economic consequences of asthma,” said Dana Fields-Johnson, Director, Healthy Jacksonville 2010.

Currently surveillance is reactive, limited to acute episodes that require ER or hospital visits. A proactive approach toward addressing asthma is inclusive of greater awareness, practical programs and health policies that reduce exposure to asthma triggers and increase accessibility to primary care. It has also been suggested that obesity and low birth weight are associated with asthma; therefore, programs involving weight management and obesity prevention are needed in order to educate the public. Furthermore, information and education about “triggers” are equally important. Common asthma triggers are: tobacco smoke, pet dander and household dust.

For questions about the report contact Rebecca Filipowicz, MPH, MS, CHES Coordinator, Center for Health Statistics Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research Duval County Health Department at 253-2051.

To read the full report click here.
View our Asthma Directory to find out where you can get the help you need.

Duval County Health Department
Main Office
515 W. 6th Street
Jacksonville, FL 32206
253-1000