For a comprehensive look at Ohio asthma data take a look at these resources from the Ohio Department of Health Asthma Program's Ohio Surveillance System for Asthma:

The Burden of Asthma in Ohio

Hospital Discharges for Asthma In Ohio 1999-2003

Brief Asthma Data Overview:

Estimated asthma prevalence for Ohio

• Adult Current Asthma¹       9.9 percent


• Adult Lifetime Asthma²    14.9 percent


• Child Lifetime Asthma3    15.2 percent

• 1,131,529 of Ohio adults have been told at some time in their life that they had asthma, of which 870,754 reported that they currently had asthma.

• 417,567 of children in Ohio have been told at some time in their life that they had asthma.3

Seriousness of the problem

Children

• Children with asthma are more likely to have unmet health needs, have problems getting care, and are more likely to delay or avoid care. Their parents are nearly twice as likely to face major medical costs.3

•  Over one in five Black children in Ohio have been diagnosed with asthma, a significantly higher rate than for white, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander children. 3

• In Ohio, nearly one in 5 children at or below the poverty line has asthma. 3

• Children with asthma are more likely to be in poor health, especially in Appalachia. 3

• Children under five are significantly more likely than other child age groups to have an asthma attack or an emergency department visit for asthma .4 

Adults

• Women, Black residents and people who didn’t graduate high school more likely to report having asthma.1, 3

•  Adult women have significantly more hospital discharges for primary diagnosis of asthma than men.4

•  Adults 18 years of age and over who were employed missed 11.8 million work days due to asthma.2

•  People who earn less than $15,000 per year are more likely to have asthma than those who earn $50,000 or more.1

• Since 1990, an average of 160 Ohio citizens per year die from asthma. Women and Black citizens are more likely to die of asthma.   Most asthma deaths are preventable with good health care. 5

Sources:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, Year 2009.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (2006).
3. Ohio Family Health Survey, 2008.
4. Ohio Department of Health.  Hospital Discharges for Asthma in Ohio, 1999-2003.
5. Ohio Department of Health, Center for Health and Vital Statistics, 1990-2009