Connecticut State Department of Public Health

Asthma Program

 

Asthma Program

MISSION STATEMENT

 The mission of the Connecticut Asthma Program is to reduce asthma-associated morbidity and mortality, decrease asthma disparities and support Connecticut residents living with asthma in achieving asthma control and improving their quality of life.

The Asthma Program is part of the Chronic Diseases Unit within the Community, Family Health, and Prevention Section at the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the asthma program is committed to reducing asthma disparities and improving access to comprehensive asthma control management.

THE CONNECTICUT ASTHMA PROGRAM’S GOALS

  • Provide community asthma education, expand access to culturally appropriate and effective delivery of coordinated asthma services.
  • Promote guidelines-based asthma care to health professionals in community health centers and schools.
  • Increase the integration of Community Health Workers to address social determinants of health and barriers to asthma management and facilitate access to health care, community and local resources.
  • Promote a comprehensive approach to asthma management through CDC’s EXHALE strategic framework.
  • Increase the availability of CT’s Asthma Home Visiting Program, Putting on AIRS, across the state.
  • Reducing/eliminating exposure to indoors and outdoors environmental asthma triggers. 
  • Support policies to improve access to affordable and quality housing, advancing the adoption of and assist in advancing the adoption of policies to improve indoor and outdoor air. 

BRIEF OVERVIEW: ASTHMA IN CONNECTICUT

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects 25 million children and adults nationwide or 7.8% of the US population (see most recent asthma data).

In 2022, Connecticut ranked 4th with the highest percentage of adults with asthma in the US and Territories (see Adult Current Asthma Prevalence by State or Territory) and had a greater number of children with asthma (8.2%) than that of the national average (6.2%).

Through its asthma surveillance activities, the Connecticut Asthma Program (CAP) can identify at-risk populations and monitor trends in asthma rates across the state.  Click here for more details on CT Asthma Statistics.


Summary of Connecticut Asthma Statistics:

  • In 2023, 7.9% of children and 10.8% adults had asthma.
  • In 2023, the state’s asthma hospitalization age-adjusted rate was 6.4 per 10,000.  Comparing age groups, adults and children’s hospitalization rates were respectively, 3.3 and 15.0 per 10,000 population.
  • In 2023, the state’s emergency department (ED) visit age-adjusted rate was 43.0 per 10,000 population, while the rates for adults and children were respectively 33.6 and 69.9 per 10,000 population.
  • Women, residents of Hispanic and non-Hispanic black communities and residents from low household income are disproportionately affected by asthma. In CT, 12.7% of women have asthma, while it affects 8.8% of men. The prevalence of asthma among adults from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds ranges from 8.1% to 17.9%.
  • In 2023, Connecticut incurred $119,913,100 million acute care charges due to asthma as a primary diagnosis. Of that amount, $66.7 million was for hospitalizations and $53.2 million were for emergency department (ED) visits. Healthcare charges have been the highest since 2014.
  • Of the $119.9 million, $ 70.2 (58%) were charged to Medicaid and $20.1 (17%): million to Medicare.

 

 

Asthma Stats 2023