Prevalence of bronchial asthma in school children of 6-13 years of age in Shimla City.

Background. Asthma is a major public health problem worldwide. However, there is limited data on asthma prevalence among school children in Shimla. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of asthma in Shimla city and also to examine the different factors influencing its occurrence. Methods. This was a questionnaire-based study (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood [ISAAC] protocol) carried out in four randomly selected schools in the city of Shimla. The questionnaire was pre-tested in 50 school children. The age group included in the study was 6-13 years. The questionnaire was distributed to all the children (n=1136). A response rate of 89.5% was achieved. The socio-economic status was determined on the basis of monthly income (cumulative square root value method). The ISAAC questionnaire was given standard scores. Various factors influencing the prevalence of asthma, such as socio-economic status, history of asthma and other allergic disorders in the family, type of cooking fuel used, history of active and passive smoking were elucidated from the history. Results. Overall prevalence of asthma in our study was found to be 2.3 percent. Boys had a higher prevalence (3.1%) than girls (1.4%). We found a significant association between asthma prevalence and family history of asthma and other atopic manifestations. There was no significant association of socio-economic factors and exposure to smoking with prevalence of asthma. Conclusion. In the present study, the prevalence of bronchial asthma in school children in the age group of 6-13 years is 2.3 percent.