AHRQ News and Numbers: Black Children More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Severe Asthma Attacks

Black Children More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Severe Asthma Attacks
AHRQ News and Numbers
Release date: June 29, 2011

Black children were 4 times more likely than White children to be hospitalized for a severe asthma attack in 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

For every 100,000 children age 2 to 17 hospitalized for asthma attacks, the Federal agency's data show that: 384 were Black, 94 were White, and 135 were Hispanic. Asian and Pacific Islander children were the least likely to need inpatient hospital care for asthma (78).

Data on other disparities involving hospitalization of children for asthma, the Agency found that per 100,000 children admitted:

•Children from poor families were more than twice as likely as those from high-income families to be admitted, (231 versus 102).
•Boys had about 50 percent more hospitalizations than girls, (181 versus 119).
•Children ages 2 to 4 were over 6 times more likely than children age 15 to 17 to be hospitalized, (310 versus 50).
•Children in the Northeast were more likely to be hospitalized than those in the West, (196 versus 102).

This AHRQ News and Numbers is based on information in the 2010 National Healthcare Disparities Report, which examines the disparities in Americans' access to and quality of health care, with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, income, and education.

For other information, or to speak with an AHRQ data expert, please contact Bob Isquith at Bob.Isquith@ahrq.hhs.gov or call (301) 427-1539.

Current as of June 2011


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Internet Citation:

Black Children More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Severe Asthma Attacks. AHRQ News and Numbers, June 29, 2011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn062911.htm

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AHRQ News and Numbers: Black Children More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Severe Asthma Attacks