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High prevalence of asthma in five remote indigenous communities in Australia

¹ Epidemiology and Population Health Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia, ² Dept of Paediatrics, Flinders University Northern Territory Clinical School, Dept of Paediatrics, Alice Springs Hospital, Australia, ³ National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, ⁴ Indigenous Health Program, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia and ⁵ Dept of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia

CORRESPONDENCE: P.C. Valery, Epidemiology and Population Health Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Post Office, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Queensland, Australia 4029. Fax: 61 733620101

Keywords: asthma, childhood, indigenous

Received: November 24, 2000
Accepted March 10, 2001

Data on the prevalence of asthma in children residing in remote indigenous communities in Australia are sparse, despite the many reports of high prevalence in nonindigenous children of this country. Two previous Australian studies have had poor participation rates, limiting interpretation of their results.

A study of children in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Australia was conducted to document the prevalence of asthma symptoms. Five indigenous communities were randomly selected and trained interviewers, who were local indigenous health workers, recruited participants using a house-by-house approach. Information was collected by a structured face-to-face interview based on a standardized questionnaire constructed from the protocol International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood; 1,650 children were included in the study with a 98% response rate.

Overall, the prevalence of self-reported ever wheezing was 21%; 12% reported wheezing in the previous year; and 16% reported ever having asthma. There was significant variation in the prevalence of asthma symptoms between communities.

It is concluded that there are significant intercommunity variations in the prevalence of asthma symptoms in remote communities and that the prevalence in these communities is as high as in nonindigenous groups.