Running Head: THE ISSUE OF ASTHMA IN CALIFORNIA
The Issue of Asthma in California
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University
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Instructor
August 18, 2015
THE ISSUE OF ASTHMA IN CALIFORNIA 2
The Issue of Asthma in California
How long has the issue of Asthma been a problem in California?
For very long time asthma remains one of the leading chronic illnesses and has been
identified as an increasing public health issue in California. Some of the effects of asthma
include disruption of daily activities or sleep, missed work days and school, urgent medical
visitations regarding asthma exacerbations and even fatality. Asthma does not only affect
individuals with the disease but also their friends and family members as well as businesses and
schools. As at now there is no known cure for asthma, however it can be controlled with proper
medications, access to medical care, trigger reduction, and proper self-management. When it is
controlled effectively, people can live normal lives and attain their goals (Sly, 2014).
How the issue of Asthma has affected Californians
According to Von Behren, Kreutzer, Arnesen (2013) it is estimated that nearly 5 million
people in California has been diagnosed with asthma and currently 3 million have it. Over one
out of five people currently having asthma is viewed to have very badly controlled asthma.
Among adults, asthma results in about 11.8 million days of work or usual activities missed each
year and 1.2 million day car/school missed each among school going age children. Studies
indicate that there is huge room for improvement in routine medical provision for individuals
suffering from asthma. More than 50% of adults currently suffering from have not had a routine
asthma checkup in the last one year and only 40% of children and adults suffering from asthma
have acquired a written action plan from their medical professionals. On the positive side is that
the rates of most severe outcomes – deaths and hospitalization as a result of asthma –have
decreased. Nonetheless, there are approximately 180,000 emergency department visits, 35,000
hospital discharges and 400 deaths annually as a result of asthma. Moreover, the costs of asthma
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hospitalization are massive-more than $1 billion last year. Effective prevention measures could
minimize a lot of these costs and poor outputs. For instance, 12% of individuals hospitalized in
2014 with asthma had at minimum one repeat visit. Intervening to curb such repeat
hospitalization because of asthma could greatly have saved nearly 200 million in medical costs.
How the community has responded
This community is very concerned with the issue of asthma in their state because almost
12% of them report that they have been diagnosed with this disease. This makes the lifetime
asthma rates for Californians greater than the 9.7% of the national average. Because of these
serious effects of the disease the community has identified a number of programs to respond to
this issue. Asthma is being addressed by a number of programs including, the environmental
health division, the chronic diseases division, the Medi-Cal, and the health families (Akinbami,
2012). With help from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health these
organizations looks at occupational asthma. They also investigate public places and schools to
control and assess exposures to potential asthma triggers, carry out surveillance, community
intervention and education. In addition they offer medical monitoring and supplements
medication costs in clinics as well as asthma education established to offer children integrated
childhood development services.
Conclusion
The issue of asthma has been in California for a very long time. Estimates indicate that
more than five million people currently live with asthma in this community. Some of the major
effects of asthma include; lost school time, and wok time, deaths, hospitalizations and the huge
cost of treatment. Because of the effects of asthma, the community has initiated programs that
are helping in both the prevention and cure of this disease.
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References
Akinbami, L. (2012). The state of childhood asthma, United States, 1980-2005. Advance data
from vital and health statistics; no 381, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health
Statistics.
Sly, RM. (2014). Continuing decreases in asthma mortality in the United States. Ann Allergy
Asthma Immunol. Mar;92(3):313-8.
Von Behren J, Kreutzer R, Arnesen C. (2013). Asthma deaths in children and young adults in
California. Richmond, CA: California Department of Health Services, Environmental
Health Investigations Branch.
