Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. It can cause wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing, particularly at night or after exercise. More severe asthma attacks can result in breathlessness, agitation, and respiratory failure.

The survey asked parents whether they have been told that their child had (and still has) asthma, used medication for asthma in the past year, had moderate or severe difficulties and/or an asthma attack in the past year, or had been hospitalized for asthma in the past year. Overall, 7.9 percent of children are affected by asthma in at least one of these ways. Boys are more likely to have these effects than girls: 9.1 percent of boys have at least one of these effects, compared to 6.6 percent of girls.

The proportion of children affected by asthma during the past year varies by race and ethnicity as well. Of White children, the parents of 7.2 percent reported at least one of the effects of asthma listed above, as did the parents of 6.4 percent of Hispanic children and 12.4 percent of parents of Black children. Of children of other races, 7.3 percent are affected by asthma, as are 11.2 percent of multiracial children.

The severity of asthma’s effects also declines as family income rises. Of children with family incomes below the poverty level, 10.2 percent are affected by asthma, compared to 8.7 percent of children with family incomes between 100 and 199 percent of poverty, 7.8 percent of children with family incomes between 200 and 399 percent of FPL, and 6.9 percent of children with family incomes of 400 percent of FPL or more.