Data from: Prevalence and severity of asthmatic symptoms in Grenadian school children: the Grenada National Asthma Survey

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of
asthma in school children in the tri-island Caribbean nation of Grenada.
Setting, participants and outcomes: This was a self-report study provided
to the guardians of all primary school children between ages 6 and 7
throughout Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in 2013. Of the 2362
surveys provided, 1374 were returned, resulting in a response rate of
58.2%. Only responders listing birthdays between 1 January 2006 and 31
December 2007 were included in the analysis, resulting in 1165 qualifying
responders. Asthma diagnosis was based on previous physician diagnosed
asthma and/or self-reported presence of wheeze in the past 12 months
(current wheeze). Severity of asthma, medication usage, environmental
exposures, physician and emergency department visits were compared among
respondents. Results: The prevalence of wheezing in the past year was
30.5±1.8%, and of these 68.4% were previously diagnosed with asthma. Of
the current wheeze participants, 39.9±9.2% reported moderate to severe
asthma symptoms and increased exposure to cigarette smoke, excessive dust,
burning brush and landfills. Carriacou and Petite Martinique, the two
smaller islands, had a lower incidence of current wheeze (14.1±7.7%) and
exposure rates to cigarette smoke and burning brush as compared to the
larger, denser island of Grenada. Although 65.7% of respondents diagnosed
with asthma reported taking medication, the number of annual doctor and
emergency department visits were high (2.82 and 0.86, respectively).
Respondents with the most severe asthma symptoms reported the most
emergency department visits with an average of 1.05 visits annually,
whereas respondents with moderate asthma symptoms had the most doctor
visits with an average of 3.33 visits annually. Conclusions: This study
indicates that the prevalence of childhood asthma in Grenada is very high
and warrants policy consideration in public health and education to
decrease its morbidity.