Racial and ethnic differences in adult asthma prevalence, problems, and medical care.

Objectives: We document the extent to which racial and ethnic differences exist in asthma prevalence among US adults, and among asthmatic adults, we document racial differences in asthma problems and asthma-related medical care. We also explore potential explanations for racial and ethnic disparities in each outcome.

Design: Using data on a 24-state sample of white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American adults from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we examine race/ethnic differences in asthma prevalence, problems (had an asthma attack last year; asthma symptoms; sleep difficulties; activities limited because of asthma), and asthma-related medical care (number of routine doctor visits; medication use; urgent doctor visits; visited an emergency room for asthma-related care last year).