Predictive value of a cross-cultural asthma case-detection tool in an elementary school population.

Objective: Bronchial asthma, which affects approximately 5 million US children, is vastly underdiagnosed and treated, particularly among minorities and those of low socioeconomic status. Because current methods of detecting those at greatest risk of asthma in a multicultural setting appear inadequate, we assessed the validity and reliability of a new asthma questionnaire across 3 dominant cultures in Orange County, California (white, Hispanic, and Vietnamese).

Methods: Children in grades 1, 3, and 5 and their families, in 3 different schools representative of these major ethnic groups, were randomly selected to participate in the validation process.