Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding the triggers that can cause an attack. You must also remove the triggers in your environment that can make your asthma worse. (https://www.cdc.gov/asthma)

Objective

The objective of this post is to provide insight into the prevalence of current asthma in Puerto Rico. This type of information can be useful for institutional strategies and activities such as: allocating human or economic resources, developing scientific hypotheses for continued research into the disease’s etiology or risk factors or the development of marketing strategies.

Methods

In an effort to survey many types of social, demographic, disease and behavioral outcomes in the United States and its associated territories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) runs numerous population-based surveys. The information used to estimate current asthma prevalence in this article came from the latest available data from a population-based survey regularly administered by the CDC known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Current asthma prevalence is surveyed by the BRFSS using the following question: Do you still have Asthma?

The complete methodology used to conduct the analyses shown in this post can be found here.

Statistical Remarks

The following statistical remarks highlight the most meaningful differences among a selected group of demographic variables based on a logistic regression model. We encourage you to refer to the graphs and tables below for a more in-depth look at the current asthma prevalence in Puerto Rico.

An estimated 298,918 (10.67%) adults in Puerto Rico had current asthma in 2016. When evaluating current asthma by age group, adults in the 25-34 group had a 54% higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma than the 18-24 group. This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05). Among adults, females had a 2.05 higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma compared to males. This difference was significant (p-value \(<\) 0.05). In term of education level, the group high school graduate had a 36% lower likelihood of reporting having current asthma than the reference group (those who completed only some high school). This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05). Those with an annual income of $25k-$<$35k had a 6% higher likelihood of reporting current asthma than those whose annual income was less than $14,999. This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05). Those who were in the unmarried couple group had a 74% higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma compared to those who reported being married. This difference was significant (p-value \(<\) 0.05). Adults who were in the a student, retired, and unable to work group were 2.46, 2.46, and 2.6 times more likely, respectively, to report having current asthma compared to those who reported being employ for wages.

Data Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey

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Cite as follows: “Blog title”, Outcome Project, LLC., posting date, https://outcomeproject.com/blog/, access date (Date Accessed).

Disclaimer: The Outcome measures in this post were calculated by Outcome Project, LLC using our own resources to advance our mission of providing tools and information to support and inspire evidence-based decisions making. No private or government institution has any involvement in the development of this blog.


Graphs and Tables

Overall Prevalence

  • The prevalence of current asthma among adults for the year 2016 in Puerto Rico was 10.6 (9.46-11.8) percent.
Table 1: Current asthma prevalence among adults in Puerto Rico, 2016
Prevalence Cases Sample Size
Adults 10.67 (9.47-11.87) 298,918 5,794


Socio-demographics

Age group

Current asthma prevalence among adults by age group, 2016

Figure 1: Current asthma prevalence among adults by age group, 2016

  • Figure 1 shows that the current asthma prevalence for the 25-34 age group was higher than the other age groups.
Table 2: Current asthma prevalence among adults by age group, 2016
Prevalence Cases (N) OR OR(SE) p-value
Age group
  18-24 8.92 (5.03-12.8) 33,138 1.00 0.00 1.00
  25-34 12.4 (8.51-16.3) 58,144 1.54 0.33 0.18
  35-44 10.4 (7.49-13.4) 48,837 1.46 0.34 0.26
  45-54 12.0 (9.10-14.9) 57,147 1.38 0.32 0.31
  55-64 8.91 (6.89-10.9) 39,037 0.82 0.34 0.57
  65+ 10.7 (8.88-12.6) 62,615 0.98 0.36 0.97
  • Adults in the age group of 25-34 group had a 54% higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma than the 18-24 group. This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05)

Sex

  • Figure 2 shows that males had a lower current asthma prevalence than females.
Current asthma prevalence among adults by sex group, 2016

Figure 2: Current asthma prevalence among adults by sex group, 2016


  • Among adults, females had a 2.05 higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma compared to males. This difference was significant (p-value \(<\) 0.05)
Table 3: Current asthma prevalence among adults by sex group, 2016
Prevalence Cases (N) OR OR(SE) p-value
Sex
  Males 8.87 (6.87-10.8) 116,373 1.00 0.00 1.00
  Females 12.2 (10.8-13.6) 182,545 2.05 0.16 0.00


Education level

  • When comparing education level, those who reported having finished some high school had the highest prevalence of current asthma, reported to be, 13.09%. (Figure 3).
Current asthma prevalence among adults by education level, 2016

Figure 3: Current asthma prevalence among adults by education level, 2016


  • Using the adjusted odds ratio, the group high school graduate had a 36% lower likelihood of reporting having current asthma than the reference group (some high school).

  • This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05)

Table 4: Current asthma prevalence among adults by education level, 2016
Prevalence Cases (N) OR OR(SE) p-value
Education group
  Some High School 13.0 (10.1-16.0) 95,594 1.00 0.00 1.00
  High School Graduate 10.2 (7.79-12.6) 76,720 0.64 0.23 0.06
  Some Collage 9.75 (7.60-11.9) 69,523 0.72 0.25 0.20
  College Graduate 9.47 (7.78-11.1) 56,299 0.74 0.24 0.22


Income level

  • Figure 4 shows that adults whose annual household income was $<15k, had a higher current asthma prevalence than those in other income groups.
Current asthma prevalence among adults by household income level,  2016

Figure 4: Current asthma prevalence among adults by household income level, 2016


  • Those with annual income of $25k-$<$35k had a 6% higher likelihood of reporting current asthma than those whose annual income was less than $14,999. This difference was not significant (p-value \(>\) 0.05)
Table 5: Current asthma prevalence among adults by income level, 2016
Prevalence Cases (N) OR OR(SE) p-value
Income group
  <15k 11.8 (9.83-13.8) 128,994 1.00 0.00 1.00
  15k-<25k 10.1 (7.88-12.4) 69,590 1.00 0.17 0.98
  25k-<35k 9.27 (5.80-12.7) 18,476 1.06 0.27 0.82
  35k-<50k 8.66 (5.10-12.2) 11,018 1.01 0.29 0.96
50+k 9.14 (5.38-12.9) 11,848 1.06 0.29 0.82


Marital Status

  • Adults who reported being unmarried couple at the time of the interview had the highest current asthma prevalence among all marital status groups. Refer to figure 5.
Current asthma prevalence among adults by marital status , 2016

Figure 5: Current asthma prevalence among adults by marital status , 2016


  • Those who were unmarried couple group had a 74% higher likelihood of reporting having current asthma compared to those who reported being married. This difference was significant (p-value \(<\) 0.05)
Table 6: Current asthma prevalence among adults by marital status, 2016
Prevalence Number OR OR(SE) p-value
Marital group
  Married 9.72 (8.20-11.2) 103,170 1.00 0.00 1.00
  Divorced 9.52 (6.87-12.1) 29,107 0.91 0.20 0.65
  Widowed 10.9 (7.89-14.0) 24,245 0.80 0.21 0.30
  Separated 7.70 (3.53-11.8) 10,290 0.78 0.32 0.45
  Never married 11.7 (8.80-14.6) 86,922 1.05 0.19 0.77
  Unmarried couple 13.7 (8.88-18.6) 44,482 1.74 0.23 0.01


Employment Status

  • Adults who reported being out of work > 1 year at the time of the interview had the highest current asthma prevalence (Figure 6).
Current asthma prevalence among adults by employment status, 2016

Figure 6: Current asthma prevalence among adults by employment status, 2016


  • Adults who were a student, retired, and unable to work group were 2.46, 2.46, and 2.6 times more likely, respectively, to report having current asthma compared to those who reported being employ for wages.
Table 7: Current asthma prevalence among adults by employment status, 2016
Prevalence Cases (N) OR OR(SE) p-value
Employment status
  Employ for Wages 7.58 (5.98-9.18) 58,928 1.00 0.00 1.00
  Self-employed 8.65 (4.03-13.2) 23,887 1.23 0.34 0.53
  Out of work > 1 year 15.2 (8.37-22.1) 34,594 1.60 0.31 0.13
  Out of work < 1 Year 13.4 (5.90-20.9) 10,983 1.97 0.39 0.08
  A homemaker 11.5 (9.06-14.0) 61,998 1.44 0.22 0.09
  A student 11.7 (5.15-18.4) 21,621 2.46 0.45 0.04
Retired 10.7 (8.74-12.7) 52,814 2.46 0.24 0.00
Unable to work 15.9 (11.3-20.5) 34,093 2.60 0.28 0.00

Data Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey
Note: Estimates were calculated by Outcome Project, LLC

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