Pediatric Asthma Data

This Population Health Information Tool (PHIT) dataset provides the number of cases and prevalence of asthma among students, grades K-8, in Massachusetts

About the Data

Pediatric asthma data represent students in kindergarten through 8th grade only. The number of children reported with asthma are based on the medical history of the children provided by the family, therefore undiagnosed and unreported asthma cases are not included. 

School-level prevalence estimates are based on all children attending that school, which may include students from multiple cities/towns. In addition, prevalence estimates are based on the school or residential location of the students and not necessarily where the source of exposure to environmental pollutants takes place.

Use this link to explore pediatric asthma data 

About Pediatric Asthma Data

Pediatric asthma data are collected from approximately 1,800 public, private, and charter schools in Massachusetts in order to learn how much asthma exists among students in kindergarten through 8th grade. School nurses report the number of children with asthma by gender and by grade, as well as by the city/town where the students live. Response rates among schools are close to 100%, resulting in a dataset that includes nearly all cases of asthma in students in grades K-8.

Pediatric asthma data can be used to learn about the statewide occurrence of asthma in Massachusetts, and to identify which communities may have higher rates of asthma than others. It can also be used to look at asthma trends over time. Also, please keep in mind that a variety of non-environmental factors, such as access to medical care, can impact the prevalence of asthma. 

Continue Exploring PHIT Data

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Data  Select Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program data  Chronic Disease Hospitalizations Data 

Additional Resources

Massachusetts Asthma Prevention and Control 

As a publicly available tool, we highly encourage the use of data included in PHIT. Below is an example of how you can cite this webpage to reference any information you find helpful.

[Insert Title of Webpage Here] (n.d.). Population Health Information Tool, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. [Insert URL]