2010 Season
Focus: Asthma
In 2010, the MWAM band played over 60 shows in the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. The 2010 Health Initiative focused on asthma awareness.
Asthma Facts:
Asthma continues to be a serious public health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- About 23 million people, including almost 7 million children, have asthma.
- Asthma prevalence is higher among families with lower incomes.
- 12 Million people report having an asthma attack in the past year.
- Asthma accounts for nearly 17 million physician office and hospital visits, and nearly 2 million emergency department visits each year.
African Americans continue to have higher rates of asthma emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths than do Caucasians:
- The rate of emergency department visits is 350% higher.
- The hospitalization rate is 240% higher.
- The asthma death rate is 200% higher.
Approximately 2 million Hispanics in the U.S. have asthma and Puerto Ricans are disproportionately impacted:
- The rate of asthma among Puerto Ricans is 125% higher than non-Hispanic white people and 80% higher that non-Hispanic black people.
- The prevalence of asthma attacks is highest among Puerto Ricans.
Asthma in Children:
- Asthma is one of the most common serious chronic diseases of childhood.
- Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under 15.
- Asthma in children is the cause of seven million physician visits and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations.
- An average of one out of every 10 school-aged child has asthma.
- 13 million school days are missed each year due to asthma.
The Cost of Asthma:
- Annual expenditures for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at over $20 billion, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Research by EPA and others has shown that:
- Dust mites, molds, cockroaches, pet dander, and secondhand smoke trigger asthma attacks.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause asthma in preschool aged children.
- Exposure to dust mites can cause asthma.
- Ozone and particle pollution can cause asthma attacks.
When ozone levels are high, more people with asthma have asthma attacks that require a doctor’s attention. Ozone makes people more sensitive to asthma triggers such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and mold.
LEARN MORE AT www.epa.gov/asthma
