Childhood asthma hospitalization rates, childhood asthma prevalence, and their relationships in Erie County, New York

We estimated asthma hospitalization rates, prevalence, and their relationships for children under age 15 in Erie County. New York. Information on hospitalizations was obtained from hospital discharge data, and prevalence was estimated through a mailed survey of 9271 children. The hospitalisation rate was 2.3 per 1000, the lifetime prevalence was 14.1%. and the hospitalization-to- prevalcnce ratio was 16.3 per 1000 prevalent cases. Hospitalization rates and hospitalization-to-prevalence ratios were higher among young children relative to older children; and hospitalization rates, prevalence, and hospitalization-to-prevalence ratios were higher among males, blacks, and Buffalo residents, suggesting greater severity, poorer management, and/or less access to care among these groups. The hospitalization-to-prevalence ratio may be useful in estimating prevalence from more easily available hospitalization data.