View the full report

California Breathing Asthma Program is pleased to announce the release of an updated data source book on asthma. This report presents a comprehensive picture of the burden of asthma in the state, compiling all available asthma surveillance data into a single source.

Included in the Report

• Asthma rates over time and by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and other characteristics
• Comparisons of California’s rates to national goals
• Data on asthma prevalence, morbidity, health care utilization & quality
• Special sections on environmental risk factors and work-related asthma

Key Findings:

• Approximately five million Californians – or one in eight people – have been diagnosed with asthma.
• In 2010, there were almost 35,000 asthma hospitalizations in California, which resulted in over $1 billion in annual charges.
• There are dramatic differences in asthma by race/ethnicity. This is most striking for Blacks, who have 40 percent higher asthma prevalence, four times higher asthma ED visit and hospitalization rates, and two times higher asthma death rates than Whites.
• Areas with lower median incomes have higher rates of asthma hospitalizations and ED visits, and adults with lower incomes are less likely to have well-controlled asthma.
• On average, people with asthma are exposed to 2-3 asthma triggers in the home. About 10 percent of adults and 5 percent of children with current asthma are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home.

The previous version of this report is also available (2007):