Background:

The Asian American (AsA) population is heterogenous and rapidly growing; however, little is known regarding childhood asthma burden amongst AsA ethnic groups. The relation of obesity and asthma among AsA ethnic groups also remains unclear.

Objective:

To evaluate asthma prevalence and the relation of obesity to asthma risk amongst children in seven AsA ethnic groups.

Methods:

We analyzed data from the California Health Interview Survey from 2011-2020. AsA ethnicities were self-reported. Body mass index (BMI) z-scores, calculated from self-reported height/weight, were used to categorize children by obesity status, based on BMI-for-age growth charts. Prevalence of self-reported lifetime doctor-diagnosed asthma and asthma attack in the last 12 months were calculated. We performed multivariable logistic regressions adjusting for age and sex.

Results:

Of 34,146 survey respondents, 12.2% Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 12.5% AsA children reported lifetime asthma. Among AsA ethnic groups, however, lifetime asthma ranged from 5.1% (Korean American) to 21.5% (Filipino American). Compared to NHW children, AsA children had a similar lifetime asthma prevalence (aOR=1.05; 95%CI: 0.71-1.55; p=0.81), but lower prevalence in Korean American children (aOR 0.37; 95%CI, 0.19-0.73; p=0.004) and higher prevalence in Filipino American children (aOR 1.97; 95%CI, 1.22-3.17; p=0.006). The lifetime asthma prevalence of different AsA ethnic groups persisted even when stratified by obesity status.

Conclusion:

Childhood lifetime asthma prevalence varied among AsA ethnic groups, with lowest prevalence among Korean American children and highest prevalence among Filipino American. Further characterization of asthma burden amongst AsA ethnic groups may help guide asthma screening and prevention measures and offer new insights into asthma pathogenesis.