Filipino American kids face higher risk of asthma than other Asian ethnicities

Health is wealth may sound cliche but not when the future generations are on the line. A study shows that Filipino American kids are at higher risk of asthma compared to their Asian peers.

A study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that Filipino American children top the chart of asthma prevalence. Meng Chen, MD and clinical assistant professor of allergy and immunology at Stanford University, shed some light on these findings.

“Using California survey data, we found that childhood lifetime asthma prevalence varied among Asian American ethnic groups, with the lowest prevalence in Korean American children and the highest prevalence in Filipino American children,” said Chen.

Chen and her colleagues pulled the data from the California Health Interview survey of 34,146 children where 13 percent are Asian Americans with diverse representations across other Asian ethnicities.

The prevalence of #asthma among Asian American children appeared similar to that of non-Hispanic white children, but asthma risks varied widely within Asian ethnic groups, said Dr. Meng Chen of @StanfordMed and @StanfordCAREs.
Read more 🔽https://t.co/poCr2LZSbw

— Healio Allergy and Asthma (@HealioAllergy) January 18, 2024

The prevalence of Asthma among Asian American kids was 12.5 percent, almost mirroring the non-Hispanic white children at 12.2 percent. The data, which shows Asian American children sharing a relatively similar rate with non-Hispanic white children, reveals significant risks. 

Furthermore, a closer look at the groups reveals a variation: Korean American children had the lowest asthma prevalence at only 5.1 percent while Filipino American children had the highest at 21.5 percent.

This is not surprising given the fact that almost half of the Filipino American children with asthma had an attack a year before the survey was conducted and most of them have an asthma action plan.

Though not an alarming rate, it’s a warning for healthcare institutions. According to Chen:

Correlation of asthma and BMI

Another factor in the picture is the body mass index (BMI) which is also a contributor to the risk of asthma. Korean American children are still at their low-risk rate while Filipino American children are at the highest risk — regardless of BMI or weight.

The root cause of asthma starts as early as the mother’s maternal health. This factor, along with prenatal events and genetics, forms the child’s respiratory health. 

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However, the growing concern of asthma isn’t just particular among Filipino American children. Pediatric asthma has been a public health issue in the Philippines where nearly 1 out of 10 children have asthma.

While there’s no data showing why Filipino American children are more prone to asthma, one thing is certain: it’s a wake-up call for strategized disease management for Asian American communities.