%0 Journal Article %A Shahid Sheikh %A Kevin Morris %A Karen McCoy %T Comparison of prevalence of childhood asthma in two different African-American communities in Columbus area. A pilot study %D 2011 %J European Respiratory Journal %P p1132 %V 38 %N Suppl 55 %X Asthma prevalence is on the rise and children in minority communities have the highest prevalence.Objective: Pilot study done at Mission Day School (private elementary school) and at New Salem Baptist Church (urban inner city neighborhood) in Columbus, OH, to understand asthma prevalence in two communities with same racial but different socio-economic status. All children were African Americans.Methods: Asthma screening was done using validated “Easy Breathing Survey (Hall CB et al. J Pediatr 2001;139:267-72)" with 4 questions. A positive response to any of the 4 questions has 94% sensitivity for asthma and specificity [% (95%CI)] of each question between 66% - 86%.Results: Questionnaire was sent to 105 families at both places. Fifty four families at school and 53 families at church completed the survey. Comparing data from school and church revealed median age 7 and 9 years, M:F 28:26 and 27:26, family history of asthma 24 and 27, known asthma triggers in 16 and 18 children respectively. Nine (16%) children at both sites had previous diagnosis of asthma and among them, 8 at school and all nine at church still had positive responses to survey. Additional 27 children at school and 26 at church responded positively to questions on survey though none of them had a previous diagnosis of asthma and about one third of them at both sites had required acute care for asthma within a year.Conclusions: Asthma prevalence is high in African American community irrespective of their socio-economic status. In the majority, symptoms are not well controlled. More than half of children at both sites had positive survey suggesting that they might have undiagnosed asthma. %U