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Article: Family-centered approach: Caring for a child with asthma
- Article from:
- AAACN Viewpoint
- Article date:
- January 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Jan/Feb 2002. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Asthma is the major chronic illness in children. According to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 1995), an estimated 4.8 million children under the age of 18 live with a diagnosis of asthma. While this is a substantial number of children, the prevalence rate of asthma has been rising with a 52% increase in people ages 5-34 from 1982-1992. In 1997, 338 deaths due to asthma were reported in individuals under the age of 24 (CDC, 1998). Many physicians are reticent to label a child with asthma and thus it is often underdiagnosed, meaning more children are likely to be living with asthma.
Children who live in the inner city have higher rates of asthma ...