Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Asthma Prevalence in Adults
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Asthma Prevalence in Adults by County, New Jersey, 2018-2021
Why Is This Important?
Asthma is a serious personal and public health issue that has far reaching medical, economic, and psychosocial implications. People with asthma are more likely to miss school or work, report feelings of depression, and experience an overall reduced quality of life. Asthma is also costly, with expenses from routine checkups, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and medications putting a significant burden on families, the health care sector, and the economy. Though it cannot be cured, asthma can be controlled through quality health care, appropriate medications, and good self-management skills. When asthma is controlled, people with the disease have few, if any, symptoms, and can live normal and productive lives.
Definition
Adults aged 18 and over, who reported having been told by a doctor that they have asthma and who currently have asthma. All prevalence estimates are age-adjusted to the U.S. 2000 standard population (except for rates by age group).
Data Sources
- Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, Center for Health Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health
(http://www.nj.gov/health/chs/njbrfs/) - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Total number of respondents answering "yes" to both of the BRFSS asthma core questions: 1. Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you had asthma? 2. Do you still have asthma? |
| Denominator: | Includes all survey respondents ages 18 years and older except those with missing, don't know, or refused answers to the core asthma questions |
How Are We Doing?
In 2021, the adult asthma prevalence in New Jersey was 9.2%. Blacks (11.7%), Whites (10.1%) and Hispanics (8.8%) have higher prevalence of asthma compared to Asians (5.9%). . Adult asthma prevalence is higher for women than men in every age category.
What Is Being Done?
[https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/chronic/asthma/in-nj/] [https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/]