Asthma is a disease of the lungs that can cause wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. It is one of the most common chronic diseases among children. Asthma varies greatly in severity. Some children who have been diagnosed with asthma may not experience any serious respiratory effects. Other children may have mild symptoms or may respond well to the management of their asthma, typically through the use of medication. However, some children with asthma may suffer serious attacks that greatly limit their activities; result in visits to emergency rooms or hospitals; or, in rare cases, cause death. Environmental factors such as air pollution and secondhand tobacco smoke, along with infections, exercise, and allergens, can trigger asthma attacks in children who have the disease.^{56, 57, 60, 141, 142, 143}

Indicator HEALTH8: Percentage of children ages 0–17 with asthma, 2009–2021

• The prevalence of children ages 0–17 ever diagnosed with asthma decreased from 14% in 2009 to 12% in 2018. In 2021, 10% of children had been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives compared to 11% in 2019.
• The prevalence of children reported to currently have asthma decreased from 10% in 2009 to 8% in 2018. In 2021, 6% of children were reported to currently have asthma compared to 7% in 2019.
• The percentage of children with an asthma attack in the past year decreased from 5% in 2009 to 4% in 2018. In 2021, 3% of children had one or more asthma attacks in the past year, which has remained steady since 2019.
• The prevalence of current asthma in 2021 was highest among Black, non-Hispanic children (13%) compared with Asian, non-Hispanic (3%); Hispanic (5%); and White, non-Hispanic (6%) children.
• In 2021, approximately 9% of children living below poverty had asthma compared with 6% of children with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level and 6% of children with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level.

 HEALTH8A HTML Table | HEALTH8B HTML Table