Pediatric Asthma in a Universally Insured Military Population

Are there unexpected variations in the prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric asthma in the Military Health System?In this cross-sectional study of asthma prevalence and outcomes among 950 896 Military Health System pediatric dependents, 31 288 children with asthma were identified (prevalence, 3.3%). There were decreases in overall asthma-related emergency department visits and potentially avoidable hospitalizations, but increases in asthma treatments, in particular, inhaled corticosteroid prescriptions; racial and ethnic disparities were also noted.These findings suggest that the overall number of pediatric asthma attacks, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations among Military Health System pediatric dependents has decreased, but disparities in the prevalence and outcomes persist across racial and ethnic groups despite universal insurance coverage.

Corresponding Author: Wendy Vaughan, MPH, Center for Health Services Research, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814 (wendy.vaughan.ctr@usuhs.edu).

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